Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 1/4 lb) eggplant
- Coarse sea salt
- 2 medium red onions (about 400 g/14 oz), finely chopped
- About 30 caponata olives + 3 tbsp of their EVOO
- 50 g (2 oz) celery heart, cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp (50 g) salted capers, thoroughly rinsed and patted dry
- 3 tbsp (50 g) pine nuts
- 1 can (400 g/14 oz) San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 cups Pianogrillo EVOO (for frying)
- 1 tbsp Sirk vinegar
- 3 tbsp saba
- 10 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Cut the eggplant into 1/2" cubes, place in a colander, and sprinkle with sea salt. Rest 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté the onions in a saucepan with 3 tablespoons of oil from the caponata olives jar.
Add the celery, capers, olives, and pine nuts to the onions. Sauté over medium heat 3–4 minutes.
Pour in the San Marzano tomatoes, stir, and simmer another 10 minutes, until reduced. Turn off the heat and set aside while you fry the eggplant.
Heat the 2 cups of EVOO in a deep-sided cast iron pan until a breadcrumb sizzles immediately when dropped in. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly, gently squeezing out excess liquid, and dry well with paper towels. Working in batches, deep-fry the eggplant 5–6 minutes until golden; drain on paper towels.
Bring the other vegetables back up to temperature over medium heat and stir in the fried eggplant. Add the vinegar and saba, and cook another 3–4 minutes. Adjust salt if needed, then stir in the basil leaves.
Turn off the heat and let the caponata cool. Serve at room temperature — or, if you can wait, the next day, when it tastes even better.