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a glossy sweet and sour eggplant caponata flecked with pine nuts and raisins, shown in a wide horizontal shot in a rustic bowl with crostini alongside, on a wooden table, warm natural light, shallow depth of field, landscape orientation

Caponata with Pinenuts and Raisins

A Sicialin relish made with eggplant, pine nuts, and raisins which has a sweet and sour taste.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large eggplant cubed
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 stalks celery sliced
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp pine nuts toasted
  • 3 tbsp raisins
  • 0.5 tsp salt

Method
 

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and cook the eggplant cubes until golden and soft, about 8 minutes, then set aside.
  2. In the same pan, soften the onion and celery for 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and salt and simmer 10 minutes.
  4. Return the eggplant to the pan along with the raisins and cook 5 minutes more.
  5. Stir in the toasted pine nuts and remove from heat.
  6. Serve at room temperature, ideally after a few hours to let the flavors meld.

Notes

Caponata tastes best the next day, so make it ahead and free up your oven on the big day.