Caponata

Italian Side Recipes

1 small eggplant 1/4 cup olive oil 1 chopped medium onion 1/3 cup chopped red pepper (my great grandmother used green pepper, but I dislike) 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 4.5 oz. jar whole mushrooms, drained one 6 oz. can tomato paste 1/4 cup pimento'd green olives 1/2 cup water 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 1/2 tsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 1/4 cup capers, drained and rinsed 2 small whole red chili peppers Salt and pepper to taste (don't oversalt - capers are salty enough)

A Sicilian relish from my Papa's mother's recipe box. Pare and coarsely chop eggplant; you should have approx. 3 cups. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet. Sauté onion, pepper and garlic for 2 minutes. Add eggplant and mushrooms. Toss to mix well. Cover and simmer, stirring once, until the eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold. This dish refrigerates well. Enjoy! -Diana

Submitted by Diana Bogue
Contributed on: Friday December 9th, 2005 and modified on Sunday May 16th, 2010