Question Number 8
Sicily?
Right!
Sicily's signature dish is a (generally) eggplanty delight that has now spread throughout the Peninsula, much in the manner of cotoletta alla milanese. As is the case with the cotoletta, which is one thing in Milano and too often something else elsewhere, much of the caponata one encounters outside of Sicily is a shadow of what it should be, which is a zesty summer dish that's perfect eaten cold, and ideal for perking up an indolent appetite on a hot day.
For that matter, it's much too good to abandon after the summer and is now made year round, in an infinite variety of forms. Some are purely vegetarian, whereas what's made in Palermo can also contain fish. Though there is never any one recipe for a traditional dish, the recipe that follows serves as a base for a great many variations, and is drawn from Pino Correnti's Il Libro d'Oro della Cucina e dei Vini di Sicilia.
- 2 pounds eggplants
- 1/2 pound green olives packed in brine, pitted
- 6 ounces salted capers, rinsed
- 1 1/4 pounds celery ribs
- 1 cup tomato sauce (optional)
- 2/3 pound onions
- 2/3 pound tomatoes
- 1/3 cup vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Basil
- 3/8 cup pine nuts
- Olive oil
- Salt
Begin by stripping the filaments from the celery sticks, then blanch them in lightly salted water for five minutes. Drain them, cut them into bite-size pieces, sauté them in a little oil, and set them aside.
Wash the eggplant, dice them, put the pieces in a strainer, sprinkle them liberally with salt, and let them sit for several hours to draw out the bitter juices. While they're sitting, blanch, peel, seed and chop the tomatoes.
Once the eggplant has sat, rinse away the salt and pat the pieces dry. Finely slice the onion and sauté them in olive oil; once they have turned translucent add the capers, pine nuts, olives, and tomatoes. Continue cooking, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the tomatoes are done, about 15 minutes, and then remove the pot from the fire.
While the tomatoes are cooking heat a second pot of oil and fry the diced eggplant, in several batches to keep the oil from getting chilled. When the last batch is done, return the tomato pot to the fire and stir in the eggplant, together with the previously sautéed celery. Cook for several minutes over a low flame, stirring gently, then stir in the vinegar and the sugar; when the vinegar has almost completely evaporated remove the pot from the fire and let it cool.
Serve the caponata cold with a garnish of fresh basil; it will keep in the refrigerator for several days.
