There are many ways to make eggplant caponata. This is the way I usually do it.
Caponata (Sicilian eggplant appetizer)
2 medium eggplants (unpeeled) olive oil 2 to 4 stalks celery 2 medium yellow onions tomato paste red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar green olives capers pine nuts sugar optional: cocoa, salt and pepper
Fry the diced eggplant pieces in a large amount of olive oil until cooked.
Remove the eggplant. Drain it in a strainer to remove excess oil.
Put fresh olive oil in pan. Sauté sliced onions until soft. Then remove them and set aside.
Stir-fry the chopped celery in olive oil until it is hot but not cooked. Then set it aside.
Put fresh olive oil in the pan. Cook about 1 or 2 ounces of tomato paste in the oil for a few minutes.
Add red wine vinegar and a little sugar to make a sweet-sour sauce. (Or use balsamic vinegar and then you can use a little less sugar.)
Chop about 6 to 8 green olives and about 1 tablespoon of capers and add to the sauce.
Optional: Add a pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder to the sauce.
Mix the eggplants, onions and celery into the sauce and blend. Taste, add salt and pepper to taste only if still needed after the salty olives and capers. After it’s cold it you think it needs to be less sweet, add a little fresh lemon, but not too much. (Some people like it served a tiny bit of fresh spearmint when it's cold, but it isn't necessary.)
Add about 2 to 4 tablespoons of pine nuts.
Refrigerate. Serve cold or at room temperature.
(All measurements and quantities are just approximate and written down only becaues people asked for numbers. I really don’t know how much of anything I use. Whether you have to salt the eggplant pieces first to drain out the bitterness depends on what kind of eggplant you use and the condition of the eggplant.)
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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Airone verde,
Posts: 318 | Location: NJ, USA | Registered: 18 November 2003
It's only a small amount of unsweetened cocoa that is added to the caponata--just enouhg to unify the flavors and make it slightly mellow, but not enough to taste chocolatey. For years I made it without the cocoa, and I liked it that way. It tastes fresher and more tangy without the cocoa. I like it both ways. Eggplant caponata, homemade, is one of my favorite foods.
Posts: 318 | Location: NJ, USA | Registered: 18 November 2003
I need to find my eggplant chocolate dessert recipe.. ADORE IT also there is the one where the eggplant is cooked in sugar water, then laid on top of fresh ricotta and covered with bittersweet chocolate sauce!!!
But the eggplant chocolate dessert.. is incredible! I had it with some candied ginger in it..
Eggplant with honey and lemon _____________________________
Depending on the type of eggplant, treat it for bitterness if needed (salt it, let it sit, rinse, dry off.)
Fry fairly thin slices of eggplant in hot olive oil.
Drain them and set them aside.
Saute a litle bit of garlic in oil.
Add a little bit of honey to the garlic and oil, and add ground black pepper. Re-heat it. Add salt.
When the oil is cooled down, add some freshly squeezed lemon juice and blend it in.
Drizzle the honey-lemon sauce on the eggplant. Add a few torn leaves of fresh spearmint or a small amount of dried spearmint, and a little bit of cinnamon.
Serve at any temperature from warm to cold.
Posts: 318 | Location: NJ, USA | Registered: 18 November 2003
Ok, time for a silly recipe. My grandma uses slices of eggplant as a substitute to meat in making small "involtini".
She cuts the eggplant in slices about 1/4 of inch thick, layers them with salt, squeezes them out, dips them first in flour than in beaten egg and fries them until deep golden. Than she removes them from the oil, drains them patting with some absorbent paper and lets them cool down a bit. Meanwhile she makes a tomato sauce with a little oil, garlick, and basil in a flat casserole or tallish frying pan. She places some cheese (I mean, what she has handy: one time it can be mozzarella, the next some fontina leftover: this is not a philological recipe, more of a cheap belly filler) and adds a little mortadella di Bologna or ham (both thinly sliced), rolls them up, stick a toothpick in to keep them closed and dips them quickly in the sauce, just to get them hot and to make the cheese melt.
Originally posted by Diva: I need to find my eggplant chocolate dessert recipe.. ADORE IT also there is the one where the eggplant is cooked in sugar water, then laid on top of fresh ricotta and covered with bittersweet chocolate sauce!!!
But the eggplant chocolate dessert.. is incredible! I had it with some candied ginger in it..
All these recipes are probably delicious but they made me think of a book I read recently: Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson.
It's about two very quirky, somewhat adversarial characters living on adjacent properties in Tuscany.
It's punctuated with recipes such as: "Mussels in Chocolate," "Garlic and Fernet Branca Ice Cream,"Otter with Lobster Sauce," "Rabbit in Cep Custard."
To give you an idea, some of the ingredients in the rabbit recipe are: "6 tbsp humdrum olive oil, no rosemary whatsoever, 125 gm icing sugar, hundreds-and-thousands, and, of course, Fernet Branca."
It's a fun and nutty book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Posts: 871 | Location: New York City | Registered: 28 May 2003
Briam is a very versatile dish. Variations of this vegetable combination can be found throughout the Mediterranean basin. In this case, the vegetables are allowed to shine on their own, without too much intervention. Briam is a perfect accompaniment to broiled fish or lamb chops, but it's also a great meal on its own.
1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise then cut into 1/4 inch slices 2 medium zucchini or yellow squash, halved lengthwise then cut into 1/2 inch slices 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick 4 medium tomatoes, 2 cut into large chunks, 2 grated 1 large onion, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced 2 artichokes, quartered, trimmed and par-boiled (optional) 3-4 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup water or stock 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons ground cumin 3 tablespoons dried oregano black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt to taste 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (reserve ½ cup for garnish)
Pre-heat oven 350F
Place all ingredients in a heavy, shallow baking pan, toss together and bake until tender (about 1 hour), shaking pan occasionally. Resist the temptation to stir the vegetables, as they will turn to mush. Let them caramelize for the best results.
Serve with marinated roasted red peppers, a big slice of feta or manouri cheese and a slice of rustic bread.
Kali Orexi, Nikki Rose Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries
Melitsana Salata (eggplant puree) can be prepared in several different ways. It's part of a Greek meze -- little plates.
You can just toss a whole eggplant on the grill, turn it occasionally and let it go until it’s soft and nearly charred (about ½ hour). This method produces an intense, smoky flavor. Another method is to simply bake it. I prefer this subtle version where the flavor of the eggplant shines through:
Melitsana Salata (serves 6-8 people as an appetizer)
3 medium eggplants or 5 Japanese eggplants, either grilled or roasted, then peeled 3 cloves garlic, crushed* 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Prick the skin of the eggplant with a fork in a few places to let steam escape then coat it with a little olive oil. Place it on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until soft and deflated (about 1 hour). Let the eggplant cool, then peel and set aside.
3. Place garlic cloves on a cutting board and crush them with the side of a chef’s knife (blade-side facing away from you). Sprinkle the cloves with a pinch of salt and chop finely. Then place the knife on its side again and rotate it across the garlic until it’s a fine paste. You can use a pestle and mortar if you have one, but this method is easier for such a small amount of garlic.
4. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic pulp, olive oil and vinegar until it is thick like mayonnaise. Add the eggplant pulp to the marinade and the ingredients together with a fork and break up any strings. You want it to be chunky. Fold in the parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Let the flavors meld for at least ½ hour before serving.
5. Place the puree in the refrigerator until ready use and let it come to room temperature before serving. The puree will keep under refrigeration for up to 3 days. Serve as part of a meze with crusty bread or toasted pita triangles. Roasted red peppers, feta cheese and olives are a perfect accompaniment! Kali Orexi! (enjoy your meal).
Melitzanosalata (YUM!) reminds me of a traditional Mallorquina salad I had once. Eggplants are roasted over coals or in the oven just like for melitzanosalata, the same happens to some red peppers. Than the peppers and eggplants are peeled and ripped into pieces (not cut, ripped with the fingers). Than it'sd the turn for some boiled potatoes, peeled to, and a lot of basil (and maybe some other herb) and some minced garlic. Season with salt and extravirgin oilive oil.
The briam sounds like something I'd like. Without the artichoke and the cumin, it would be similar to many eggplant dishes that I've eaten or made (except that I might've used basil or basil and mint, instead of the oregano). But the cumin would give it a whole different flavor. I've never thought of using artichokes in a mixture of roasted vegetables.
Posts: 318 | Location: NJ, USA | Registered: 18 November 2003
Slice the melanzane lengthwise about 1/2inch or 1 1/2 cm thick. Mix balsamic aceto and olio di oliva and baste the slices. Salt & pepper and grill them until just starting to soften. Can be done on a barbeque grill or in the oven.
During the heat of the summer, we use our outside grill a lot to avoid heating the house so dinners like this with a caprese are wonderful summer dishes.
Doug
Doug
ANCORA IMPARO
Posts: 2128 | Location: Winter Park, FL | Registered: 18 May 2005
One of my favorite uses of eggplant is with pasta. I don't really have a recipe, and I'm not claiming that this is classic pasat alla Norma. I make a simple marinara sauce: garlic and/or onion sauteed in olive oil, good plum tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and pepper. Meanwhile I fry slices of eggplant in olive oil (or if using the chubby, mild "Sicilian eggplants" I drizzle oil on the slices and cook them in the oven). Cook the pasat. Dress it with the tomato sauce. then put the freid eggplant on top. sprinkle with cheese of your choice. (Classic version uses ricotta salata, but I use whatever I have on hand: grated romano or shreds and small chunks of crotonese, for example.)
Posts: 318 | Location: NJ, USA | Registered: 18 November 2003
Has anyone made an eggplant soup? I'm looking for ideas for making a soup with eggplant.
I have a few nice small eggplants in the refrigerator from a local farm stand, but the kinds of things that I might normally do with them (pasta alla Norma, caponata, simple grilled or sauteed and eaten room temp with lemon juice and mint, ratatouille) just don't appeal at the moment. I'm home sick with a nasty drippy virus and fever, and all I want is soup soup soup. I'm also craving hot pepper in the soup, as I always do when I have a cold, though I don't ordinarily make my soups very hot (i.e. peppery). I already turned some of my vegetables into a soup that lasted for three meals, and now I need a new soup for tonight and tomorrow, using what I have on hand.
I did have an eggplant soup in Turkey, but I can't remember what was in it, other than eggplant and tomato and herbs. I suppose I could roast an eggplant, mash it, roast or sautee onion and tomato and maybe garlic, mix with the eggplant, cook it further in water or broth, add basil or mint and maybe thyme and s & p. But I was wondering whether anyone actually knows of an eggplant soup, preferably Mediterranean style. Ideally I would love it if there were some Sicilian eggplant soup. (It has to be something that does NOT have milk or cream.)
Posts: 318 | Location: NJ, USA | Registered: 18 November 2003
No, I don't, but your virus and fever induced recipe sounds so good that I think I need to try to make it. The only thing I would add is maybe to throw the whole thing into the food processor at the end to make a smooth satiny texture, and some toasted pinoli ( and maybe a dab of yogurt) before serving.
Oddly enough, though I have a slight problem digesting more than a very small amount of milk or cream, I have no trouble at all with yogurt. Good idea about the food processor. I was thinking of putting it in the food processor, but stopping before it got TOO smooth. (I don't like perfectly uniform smooth soups, especially if they are blended to the point of frothiness and their components totally lose their individual character.)
Posts: 318 | Location: NJ, USA | Registered: 18 November 2003
What about a Ribollita? After all, there are no rules on the ingredients and you could definately "spice" it up easily. You could chop up the melanzane into the Ribollita. Leave out the celery and add the melanzane.
Ecco, Doug
Doug
ANCORA IMPARO
Posts: 2128 | Location: Winter Park, FL | Registered: 18 May 2005
I very much agree about the food processing....just to combine to a nice texture. Very good observation. A dallop of pesto (maybe one made with mint, olive oil, and pinoli, and lemon juice if you are indeed using mint in the soup) might also work well with this soup!
Doug, later in the week, if I'm still craving soup and shying away from meat, fish, cheese, or raw salad (who knows why--I have these food instincts when I'm sick), I'll go and buy some greens and make that type of mixed soup. Right now I had nothing but fruity-type vegetables--nothing leafy and no roots except for onions and few small potatoes. Paradiso, I dropped the mint idea in light of what I found in my refrigerator. I like mint and lemon in very simple vegetable dishes, like grilled eggplant slices with olive oil, lemon and mint, eaten room temp or cold, or lightly sauteed zucchini and onion, served cold with lemon juice and mint.
Soup update: When I looked in my refrigerator, I noticed that the thing I had in greatest abundance was sweet red peppers, not eggplant (I just had a few very small ones). I also forgot that I'd gotten a few small zucchini, thinking I'd lightly sautee them in olive oil with a little bit of onion, and then have them cool with mint and lemon--something that does not appeal at all at the moment in my feverish state, though usually i really like it in the summer. I have plenty of onions and both fresh and good canned tomatoes. So, since I didn't feel like staying up to cook things in a pot, didn't want to go out to shop, and was craving nothing but soup, I decided to roast them all (except the garlic and Pomi boxed tomato which I sauteed). I started by sauteeing one tiny potato that functioned as a slight thickener/ binder, then added the garlic, then the tomatoes, and then the one roasted eggplant, two roasted peppers, one small roasted squash an one roasted yellow onion. Then I processed all the cooked things into a rough puree, added vegetable broth and cooked them all together until they became a fairly think a soup, with the addition of a few herbs--sort of a soupy version of ratatouille. I didn't use mint. I used one bay leaf, some dried thyme, and dried basil while cooking, with fresh basil at the very end.
Because of my cold, I didn't get to experience the aroma, which I think should've been one of the main attractions of this soup. But it tasted good. I think I may even try it again when I'm not sick and not finicky about eating nothing but soup.
Posts: 318 | Location: NJ, USA | Registered: 18 November 2003
I'm re-posting this message of mine from a few days ago, because the typos are annoying me but I can no longer edit.
quote:
One of my favorite uses of eggplant is with pasta. I don't really have a recipe, and I'm not claiming that this is classic pasta alla Norma. I make a simple marinara sauce: garlic and/or onion sauteed in olive oil, good plum tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and pepper. Meanwhile I fry slices of eggplant in olive oil (or if using the chubby, mild "Sicilian eggplants" I drizzle oil on the slices and cook them in the oven). Cook the pasta. Dress it with the tomato sauce. Then put the fried eggplant on top. Sprinkle with cheese of your choice. (Classic version uses ricotta salata, but I use whatever I have on hand: grated romano or shreds and small chunks of crotonese, for example.)
Posts: 318 | Location: NJ, USA | Registered: 18 November 2003
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