FoodReference.com (Since 1999)

Recipe Section - Over 10,000 Recipes

 

Home   |   Articles   |   Food Trivia   |   Today in Food History   |   Food Timeline   |   RECIPES   |   Cooking_Tips   |   Food_Videos   |   Food_Quotes   |   Who’s Who   |   Culinary Schools & Tours   |  Food_Trivia_Quizzes   |   Food Poems   |   Free Magazines   |   Food Festivals & Events

You are here > Home > Recipes

Appetizer RecipesVegetable Appetizers pg 1 >  Eggplant, Sweet & Sour

 

FREE Magazines
and other Publications

An extensive selection of free food, beverage & agricultural magazines, e-books, etc.

 

CULINARY SCHOOLS
& COOKING CLASSES

From Amateur & Basic Cooking Classes to Professional Chef Training & Degrees
More than 1,000 schools & classes listed for all 50 States, Online and Worldwide

SWEET & SOUR EGGPLANT ANTIPASTO

Melanzane in Agrodolce (Caponata)
You can find many variations of this recipe popular throughout southern Italy. It is frequently served on toasted bread, with grilled fish dishes, or to top fresh ricotta. In Puglia, this dish is served with panelle, a chickpea-flour-based “polenta” that can be fried or cooked in a pan like pancakes. I like it served with Farinata Ligure, a chickpea flatbread.
Serves 6


Ingredients

• 5 cups large-dice Italian eggplant, seeded before dicing
• 1 cup mild olive oil
• 2 cups small-dice red onion
• 1 cup celery, peeled and sliced
• 1½ teaspoons salt-cured capers, rinsed, and roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped black olives, pitted, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
• 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar, or to taste
• 1½ cups canned peeled tomatoes, lightly crushed
• 2 teaspoons chopped basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed
• 1½ teaspoons pine nuts


Directions

To draw out the moisture from the eggplant, place it in a colander, salt well, and allow it to drain for at least 2 to 4 hours. Rinse the salt from the eggplant, and pat dry with paper toweling.

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, reserving the other 1/2 cup for later use. When oil is hot, add the eggplant and cook until lightly browned on all sides. This is best done in batches so the eggplant takes on a good color; if you add too much to the pan at once, they won’t brown. (Note: You may also fry them in a fryer; make sure to dust them with flour before deep-frying and work in small batches.) Transfer them to a pan lined with paper towels to blot briefly before you put them in a mixing bowl.

Wipe out the pan used for the eggplant, add the remaining oil, and return it to medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes until translucent. Add the celery and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Be sure the celery stays crunchy. Stir in the capers and olives. Add this mixture to the eggplant and toss well to combine. Set aside.

Once again, wipe out the skillet and return it to medium-high heat. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sugar and vinegar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Pour the eggplant mixture into the skillet, add the basil, and stir to combine well. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Top with the pine nuts. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.


Recipe from A TAVOLA! Recipes and Reflections on Traditional Italian Home Cooking by Gianni Scappin and Vincenzo Lauria (Lebhar-Friedman, August 2009, Hardcover/$29.95)
 

RELATED RECIPES

  Vegetable Appetizers pg 1   |   Artichoke Ceviche, Belgian Endive   |   Artichokes with Garlic Dip   |   Artichoke Gondolas   |   Artichoke Jack Tartlets   |   Artichokes, Stuffed Artichokes   |   Asparagus with Citrus Ginger Dip   |   Asparagus Crostini   |   Asparagus Mint Prosciutto Wraps   |   Asparagus, Roasted Sesame   |   Asparagus, Sesame Wasabi   |   Avocado with Honey, Israeli Style   |   Avocado Parmesan Potato Bowls   |   Avocado Pear Honey Pastry   |   Baba Ghanoush   |   Bell Pepper Pie   |   Bell Peppers, Roasted   |   Broccoli, Roman Style Marinated   |   California Caviar Recipe   |   Candied Orange Beans   |   Chestnuts, Braised Chestnuts   |   Chickpea & Tomato Curry   |   Chunky Vegetable Fritters   |   Corn Cheddar Fritters   |   Corn Fritters   |   Corn Fritters 2   |   Corn, Sweetcorn Fritters   |   Cornmeal Pumpkin Fritters   |   Chilies, Stuffed Mild Chilies   |   Cranberry Bruschetta   |   Cucumber Canapes   |   Cucumbers, Sesame Cucumbers   |   Curry Puffs, Malay Vegan   |   Eggplant Cheddar  Empanadas   |   Eggplant Fritters   |   Eggplant, Imam Bayeldi   |   Eggplant, Roasted Eggplant & Tomato   |   Eggplant, Sichuan Eggplant   |   Eggplant, Sweet & Sour   |   Figs, Grilled Black Mission Figs   |   Frittata Bites  
  Home   |   About & Contact Info   |   Bibliography   |   Kitchen Tips   |   Cooking Contests   |   Other Links  

Please feel free to link to any pages of FoodReference.com from your website.
For permission to use any of this content please E-mail: [email protected]
All contents are copyright © 1990 - 2023  James T. Ehler and www.FoodReference.com unless otherwise noted.
All rights reserved.  You may copy and use portions of this website for non-commercial, personal use only.
Any other use of these materials without prior written authorization is not very nice and violates the copyright.
Please take the time to request permission.

 

FoodReference.com Logo

 

Popular Pages