Think you don’t like eggplant? This tangy relish will change your mind. Try it with pita chips, on pasta, over a frittata, or eaten with a spoon!
One of my favorite autumn vegetables is the often-misunderstood eggplant.
I didn’t grow up eating eggplant, and many people I worked with as a Healthy Eating Coach claimed they disliked it—sometimes without ever having tried it. In cooking classes I taught, I regularly included eggplant dishes to help people broaden their palates. In a vegetables class we made stuffed eggplant; in a French class I taught ratatouille; and in a Mediterranean appetizers class we made roasted chickpeas, a Greek-style cabbage slaw, and this sweet-and-sour eggplant relish, caponata. Time and again, people discovered they liked eggplant when it was prepared well.
Mediterranean Cooking
Caponata is a classic Sicilian dish, combining eggplant with bright Mediterranean flavors like bell peppers, onion, garlic, olives, and capers. Each ingredient contributes to the dish’s balanced sweet-and-sour profile, so resist the urge to omit any of them. Use a good-quality red wine vinegar with noticeable color and flavor. This recipe yields about 4 cups but can easily be halved—use a smaller eggplant and a smaller pot if you want less.
Roast the Eggplant First
Roasting the eggplant before combining it with the other ingredients softens the flesh and adds depth of flavor. There’s no need to peel it—the skin will soften during cooking. To roast:
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Wash and trim the eggplant, cut it in half lengthwise, and score the flesh. Place the halves cut-side down on greased foil and roast for about 20 minutes, until tender.
- 1 large eggplant, roasted and chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
- 3 tablespoons chopped Kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add the onion and celery and sauté until the onion softens. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, then add the bell peppers and salt.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are just tender, about 5–8 minutes.
- Add the chopped roasted eggplant and the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cook another 5 minutes, lowering the heat if needed to prevent sticking.
- Add the undrained tomatoes and cook 5–10 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to thicken.
- Stir in the capers, olives, sugar, and red wine vinegar. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for 20–30 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the mixture is thick.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and let the caponata cool to room temperature before serving.
More Eggplant Dishes
Expand your eggplant repertoire with other recipes that showcase its versatility:
Eggplant with Capers and Olives
Ratatouille
Stovetop Cabbage Rolls
Roasted Vegetable Hand Pies