Italian caponata is a traditional dish of Sicilian cuisine. There are many versions of caponata but the typical ingredients are aubergine, tomato, olives, celery and capers. The preparation process is very simple and consists of cutting all the ingredients into cubes and cooking them in olive oil. In this recipe for Sicilian aubergine caponata that I bring to you, I have incorporated one more ingredient: oyster mushrooms or cultivated mushrooms that will give the dish more body and texture. Today the Sicilian caponata or eggplant stew is served as a side dish, but it is also perfect served as a starter with some toast or as a sauce for pasta.
Ingredients to make Sicilian Aubergine Caponata:
- 1 kilogram of eggplants
- 200 grams of green or black olives
- 50 grams of capers
- 200 grams of oyster mushrooms
- 2 onions
- 3 sticks of celery
- 7 tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 splash of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 splash of apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- 1 handful of walnuts
How to make Sicilian Aubergine Caponata:
To prepare the Sicilian caponata the first step is to cut all the ingredients. Cut the aubergines into small cubes, chop the mushrooms into medium pieces, chop the onion, leek and garlic, cut the olives into slices and chop the walnuts. Also drain the capers.
Place the cut aubergine in a container and add plenty of salt and a splash of oil. Stir and let them rest for half an hour to remove the bitterness. Next, place the aubergines in a colander and wash them to remove the salt. Let them drain well. Cut 3 of the tomatoes into medium pieces and mash the remaining.
Heat a pan with a splash of oil and fry the aubergine until golden brown. Add the celery and mushrooms and stir.
On the other hand, in a frying pan, heat a little oil and fry the onion for about 7-8 minutes. Add the onion to the pot of the caponata with the eggplant.
In the same pan, fry the garlic. When it begins to brown, add the crushed tomato. Cook the tomato for 5-7 minutes until it begins to thicken. Add the rest of the chopped tomatoes and stir. Add the tomato to the pot with the eggplant, stir and cook for several more minutes.
Meanwhile, add the sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, olives, capers and walnuts to the pot with the eggplant. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover the pot and let the Italian caponata rest for 10 minutes. Serve the Sicilian caponata or eggplant and mushroom stew with slices of country bread.
