Cooking and eating is greatly influenced by the seasonal variations in weather and the available seasonal produce.
Abundant in summer are eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini and peppers/capsicum and I enjoy making the most of these vibrant ingredients during this time. Summer is also a time for grilled food that adds both char and depth of flavor to food.
Celebrating what’s in season enhances the taste of our dishes and allows us to connect more closely with nature’s cycles.
There are recipes in this post for grilled sardines and squid. Also grilled zucchini, eggplants and peppers and a version of caponata as baked in the oven. A celery caponata makes a perfect and easy accompaniment for grilled food.
I particularly like grilled fish, especially sardines.
And squid tastes fantastic grilled, the charring adds so much flavour and character. The tentacles are good too and apart from having a more intense flavour they offer a different texture. Squid will not need much cooking, especially if it has been marinading beforehand for an hour or so. Cook the squid quickly – about 5 mins on one side, flip it over and cook the other side for less. The marinade can be as uncomplicated as a little extra virgin olive oil, salt and a few herbs of your choice. To the marinade this time, I also added a splash of white wine.
A simple drizzle of good, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice could be sufficient as a finishing dressing, especially it you are accompanying the squid with some flavourful side dishes.
There are also two accompanying, Sicilian green, traditional sauces – Salmoriglio and Zogghiu to accompany all grilled food.
As for the accompanying dishes, I made two different Sicilian caponate (plural of caponata) and a green salad.
Caponate also make good starters and they taste better if cooked days before, making them an easy option. They are always served at room temperature: take them out of the fridge about 30 mins before serving.
Caponata as cooked in the oven
I cooked one of the caponate in the oven and used eggplants, onions, celery and peppers/capsicums. To make it different, apart from baking the vegetables, I also added fennel seeds, plenty of basil and garlic as well as the customary green olives, capers, sugar, vinegar and pine nuts.
I definitely prefer the traditional method of sautéing of each of the vegetables in hot oil because although I roasted the vegetables at high temperatures, they released far too many juices. I drained the liquid and evaporated in a saucepan and then pour it back into the oven tray. In the end it did taste good, but the flavour took far too long to fix.
Cool the caponata. Place the basil and toasted pine nuts on the caponata at the time of serving.
The caponata in the photo below is made with celery. This caponata is very quick to cook and the addition of sultanas accentuate the sweet taste. The vinegar (present in all caponate) provides the sour taste and this cooked salad tastes very much like a pickle.
This celery caponata has the addition of toasted almonds rather than pine nuts.
The celery and onions are the only two vegetable ingredients and they can be sautéed in the same pan at the same time. Once they are slightly softened, add the drained and plump sultanas that have been soaking in water for an hour or so. Add a little sugar and once the sugar begins to caramelise, add a splash of vinegar and evaporate.
Friends also enjoy the chocolate version of caponata. Pieces of dark chocolate are added in the final stages of cooking the eggplant version of caponata that is characteristic of Palermo and its region.
The caponata that includes peppers is typical of Catania and its region.
The Sicilian caponata is commonly made with eggplants especially in Palermo However, my mother’s family comes from Catania where this version of caponata also contains peppers (capsicums) as one of the principal ingredients. This regional variationis also found in many other parts of Sicily and not just in the southeastern areas.I’ve enjoyed this peppery caponata in restaurants across various Sicilian cities, including Syracuse, Sciacca, Mazara del Vallo, Agrigento, Ragusa Ibla, and Caltagirone.
Apart from the main vegetables (eggplants as in Palermo or eggplants and peppers as in Catania) the principal and most common flavourings that characterise any Sicilian caponata are: celery, onion, capers, green olives and the sweet and sour, caramelised sauce made with vinegar and sugar (the agro dolce).
Sicilians love to debate the authentic version of caponata (as they do with all recipes), with each family having their own cherished version. Some prefer tomato paste instead of chopped tomatoes, while others swear by the addition of garlic or even chocolate. Nuts like almonds, pine nuts, or pistachios frequently make an appearance, and herbs such as basil, oregano, or mint vary from one recipe to another. Some versions include raisins or currants, while others add fresh pears. One neighbor of mine, whose family also from Catania, even adds a few potatoes.This is very foreign to me, but obviously it happens.
Summer and autumn are prime seasons for making caponata, as peppers and eggplants are at their peak and this is a reason why it is perfect for an Australian Christmas. However, Sicily’s climate allows for eggplants and peppers year-round, thanks to the extensive use of serre (greenhouses) that were initially installed in great numbers in 1960-1965. These have continued to grow in numbers. Sicily, followed by Spain has the highest numbers of eggplants in terms of cultivation
Caponata brings a burst of flavour and tradition to the Christmas festivities and is also served during New Year celebrations. This iconic, vibrant dish, with its rich blend of eggplants, peppers, (and to a non-Sicilian), other surprising ingredients such as capers, olives and agrodolce sauce, lifts the spirits of the season and makes the meal a celebration.
Before the serre (glasshouses), eggplants and peppers were not in season and there were versions of caponata made with green leafy vegetables (pre-cooked in boiling salted water, drained, then added to the sautéed onion, olives, capers and the agro dolce sauce). This was called the Christmas caponata. There is also a not very common version of winter caponata made with celery, almonds and sultanas that I rather like, (recipe link below).
Unlike typical side dishes, caponata is often served as a small appetizer (or a spuntino – a snack), paired with a slice of bread to mop up the juices. It is intended to whet the appetite. After enjoying this savory starter, a meal might continue with a primo (first course), a secondo (main dish), a contorno (side vegetables), a dolce (dessert) and probably more sweets.
I always fry my vegetables separately because vegetables cook at different rates and it is far better to fry or sauté food in batches than crowd the pan.
Traditionally in caponata, the celery is pre-cooked in salted, boiling water before being added to the other ingredients. However, because I like the taste of the crunchy celery I have never pre-cooked it.
The legacy of my grandmother’s caponata continues to thrive. Friends who have savored my version are now inspired to make it themselves.
I cooked caponata for my cousin, who visited me in Melbourne from the US several years ago. He and his wife were enthralled by the dish, and it stirred up fond memories of his mother’s cooking—my aunt (my mother’s sister), who died several years ago. He asked me to send him the recipe, and when he received it, he replied:
“As I read your recipe for caponata, I could smell the flavors, just like when my mother was making it.”
Now, he’s sharing the joy of caponata with his friends and family back in the US, keeping the tradition alive across the ocean.
This version of caponata was published in the summer issue of the magazine, Italianicious (Essence of Italy, Dec 2009). The summer issue was a special edition on Sicily and I was asked to contribute. Each issue of Italianicious contains information and stories about all things Italian in Italy and in Australia.
Do not feel intimidated by the long list of steps to cook it. It really is a very simple process, but it does take some time to make.
INGREDIENTS
For 4-6 people
extra virgin olive oil, 1 cup (more or less – depending how much the vegetables will absorb)
eggplants, 2 large, dark skinned variety
peppers, 3, preferably 1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow (variation of colour is mainly for appearance, but the red and yellow ones taste sweeter)
onion, 1, large, sliced thinly,
red tomatoes, 2 medium size, peeled and chopped, or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and a little water
capers, ½ cup, salted or in brine
green olives, ¾ cup, stoned, chopped
celery, 2-3 tender stalks and the pale green leaves (both from the centre of the celery)
white, wine vinegar, 2 spoonfulls
½ cup sugar,
1 tablespoon of salt (to soak the eggplants)
some freshly ground pepper and extra salt as needed
basil leaves, several
PROCESSES
Preparation of the ingredients:
Cut the eggplant into cubes (approx 30mm) – do not peel. Place the cubes into abundant water with about 1 tablespoon of salt. Leave for about 30 minutes – this will keep the flesh white and the eggplant is said to absorb less oil if soaked previously.
Prepare the capers – if they are the salted variety, ensure they have been rinsed thoroughly and then soaked for about 30 minutes before use, and then rinsed again.
Cut the peppers into slices (approx 20mm) or into rectangular shapes.Slice the onion.
Slice the celery sticks and the green leaves finely.Peel, and coarsely chop the tomatoes (or use tomato paste).
The Cooking:
Drain the eggplants and squeeze them to remove as much water as possible – I use a clean tea towel.
Heat a large frypan over medium heat with ¾ cup of the extra virgin olive oil.Add eggplant cubes and sauté until soft and golden (about 10-12 minutes). Place the drained eggplants into a large bowl and set aside (all of the vegetables will be added to this same bowl). Drain the oil from the eggplants back into the same frypan and re-use this oil to fry the next ingredients.
Add some new oil (to the left-over eggplant oil) plus a little salt and sauté the peppers, until wilted and beginning to turn brown (about 10-12 minutes). Remove the peppers from the pan and drain the oil from the peppers back into the same frypan. Place the peppers in the bowl with the eggplants.
Add a little more oil to the pan and sauté the celery gently for 5-7 minutes, so that it retains some of its crispness (in more traditional recipes, the celery is always boiled until soft before being sautéed). Sprinkle the celery with a little salt while it is cooking. Remove the celery from the pan and add it to the eggplants and peppers.
Sauté the onion, having added a little more oil to the frypan. Add a little salt and cook until translucent. Add the tomatoes or the tomato paste (with a little water) to the onions, and allow their juice to evaporate. Add the capers and olives. Allow these ingredients to cook gently for 1- 2 minutes. Empty the contents of the frypan into the bowl with the other cooked vegetables.
For the agro- dolce sauce (sweet and sour sauce):
Add the sugar to the frypan (already coated with the caramelised flavours from the vegetables). Heat it very gently until it begins to melt and bubble. Add the vinegar and evaporate. Incorporate the cooked vegetables into the frypan with the agro-dolce sauce.
Add ground pepper, check for salt and add more if necessary. Add basil leaves: these are likely to discolour and I usually remove them and replace them with fresh basil leaves at the time of serving.
Gently toss all of the ingredients over low heat for 2-3 minutes to blend the flavours.
Remove the caponata from the pan and cool before placing it into one or more containers. Store in the fridge until ready to use – it will keep well for up to one week and it improves with age.
The final touches, select from the following options and sprinkle on the top of the caponata:
Crispy pangrattato – breadcrumbs from day-old, good quality bread. The crumbs are tossed in a pan with a little hot extra virgin olive oil until they are golden, toasted and crunchy.
Pine nuts or blanched chopped almonds, toasted.
Fresh basil or mint leaves.
Eat the caponata at room temperature accompanied by good quality bread to mop up the juices.
*** I first published this post In Feb 2010.
In my Book Sicilian Seafood Cooking, there is a whole chapter devoted to Caponata – made with various vegetables.
Sicilian Seafood Cooking was first published in Nov. 2011 and republished in Dec. 2014.
