Caponatina: Old World Appetizer
My husband comes from a big Italian family. His parents were born in the United States, but all of his grandparents came from the Old World. Sadly, Tom’s parents and grandparents have all passed away. Many of the dishes that my Mother-in-law made were the most delicious, down to earth foods that you can imagine…yum! Fortunately, Mom passed down many of her cooking skills to her children and they have been kind enough to share the (somewhat informal) recipes with me.
While we were back home visiting this spring my Sister-in-law, Sandy, made a wonderful appetizer called Caponatina that Mom used to make. Tom remembers his Mom making this dish when he was young, but he didn’t care too much for it then. Apparently that changed because he was chowing down on it with gusto at Sandy’s house! Sandy explained how she makes it and I decided to try it to take to a friend’s house for a potluck.
One of the nice things with this dish is that it is very versatile. If you don’t have one ingredient, you can substitute or add more of another vegetable. I did a little research online and found that many people make this as more of a sweet and sour dish with raisins or dried currants, sugar and vinegar. That didn’t sound as appetizing to me as the dish that Sandy served, so I did my best to recreate her Caponatina. I didn’t have any celery, so I used more eggplant and I used green olives. You can substitute them for capers, which I don’t usually have on hand. I made a large batch for a potluck, you could cut the ingredients in half for a smaller amount. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, you can use cans of diced tomatoes. I put a hot pepper in for a bit of zing. You can leave that out if you prefer.
Caponatina
5 cups peeled, seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes
3 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 medium hot pepper, seeded and minced
5 cups peeled, coarsely chopped eggplant
6oz jar chopped or sliced green olives
fresh basil, thyme, and oregano to taste
24 oz jar spaghetti sauce (or small can tomato paste if tomatoes are juicy)
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| Fresh tomatoes from my garden - peeled, seeded, and chopped. |
Pour olive oil into medium to large stainless steel pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and brown.
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Homegrown onions and garlic, browning on the stove top. This is one of the best scents in the whole world  |
Add chopped tomatoes, pepper, and eggplant. Cook until eggplant is tender. Add olives, herbs, and spaghetti sauce or tomato paste. Simmer until herbs are cooked and sauce thickens.
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Serve warm or chilled with a loaf of crusty bread, crackers, or tortilla chips. I think this sauce would be great for making pizza or spaghetti!
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