This sweet, tangy, briny caponata is delicious with crisp crostini toasts or wedges of crusty bread and a glass of wine. Great for entertaining!
The holiday season is such a great time to enjoy family recipes. It’s such a festive, nostalgic time of year, and making a recipe that’s been handed down through the generations is a wonderful way to remember those of our loved ones who are no longer with us.
Leafing through the lovingly-tattered pages of our spiral-bound family recipe book always reminds me of the comforting aromas of my grandmother’s kitchen. Last year, I posted the recipe for my “Nanny,” Josephine’s, Anise Cookies. This year, I’m sharing her delicious Caponata (Italian eggplant appetizer).
Cubes of sautéed eggplant are tossed with a rich tomato sauce, garlic, toasted pine nuts, olives, capers, and golden raisins. It’s sweet, tangy, briny, and totally delicious with crisp crostini toasts or wedges of crusty bread and a glass of wine.
I’ve been noticing caponata popping up on more and more restaurant menus over the past few years (especially at wine bars and places specializing in “small plate” dining). It’s a bit of a rustic dish, so I’ve always thought it brings a warm, relaxed feel to the table that’s perfect for socializing with friends.
Recipes for caponata vary by cook, some drawing on more of the sweet flavors than the tangy (and vice versa), or adding additional vegetables such as carrots or bell peppers. My grandmother kept her base on the simple side with thinly-sliced, sautéed onions and celery, letting the supporting layers of flavor shine through.
This recipe yields a fairly large batch of caponata (almost two quarts), making it great for a crowd, or for enjoying leftovers. If you’re serving a smaller group, the recipe is easily halved.
As an added bonus, it’s a one-pan dish that can—and should—be made ahead of time to give the flavors a chance to meld. While it’s delicious when first prepared, the developed flavor of caponata served on Day 2 or 3 will be even better, and well worth the wait.
We usually enjoy caponata as an appetizer, but this recipe is certainly substantial enough that it could serve as a light vegetarian lunch as well. I’ve also tossed the leftovers with pasta in the past (reserve a little bit of the cooking water to thin the sauce), for a quick and hearty dinner.
As for the wine paring, I’ve served caponata with everything from Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc to dry or semi-sweet Riesling and Sparkling Rosé. You want to go for something that will work with the sauce’s acidity.
A bowl of this caponata would be perfect for ringing in the New Year, or even for that big game day coming up in February!
More Appetizers and Snacks for Entertaining:
Savory Palmiers
Spinach and Artichoke Dip or Stuffed Mushrooms
Potato and Zucchini Chips with Gorgonzola and Thyme
Hot Crab Salsa Dip
Roasted Grape Crostini
Roux Crab Cakes
Grilled Shrimp Scampi
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
Josephine's Caponata (Eggplant Appetizer)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2-1/2 pounds eggplant , unpeeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 large onion , quartered and thinly sliced
- 2 stalks celery hearts (about 2/3 cup), thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 6 ounces tomato paste (small can)
- 1 cup basic tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes in puree (such as Hunt's or Pomi; not pasta sauce)
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus additional to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper , plus additional to taste
- 1 cup pitted large green olives , halved*
- 3 tablespoons capers , drained
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup golden raisins (depending on how sweet you like your caponata)
- 1/3 cup toasted pignoli nuts (2 oz package)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Cook the eggplant cubes until they're tender, but don't lose their shape, about 8-10 minutes, gently stirring frequently.** Transfer cooked eggplant to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil. Sauté onions and celery until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes/puree, water, sugar, salt, and pepper to the skillet and stir to combine. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and gently stir in eggplant, olives, capers, raisins, toasted pignoli nuts, and vinegar.
- Cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least overnight to develop the flavors. Let stand at room temperature for about an hour before serving. Caponata keeps well for about a week, covered tightly, in the refrigerator.
- Serve at room temperature with slices of crusty bread or assorted crostini toasts.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About our recipes
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
EXCELLENT! TASTES GREAT FRESH OR AFTER FREEZING
Made it! Loved it!I’m curious to know more about who Josephine was?
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Josephine was my late grandmother (“Nanny”). I often share her recipes.
Searched several recipes before I tried yours because it looked and seemed like (from the ingredients) the type I was looking for. Like many Italian recipes, the are as many versions. This was delicious and I will be making it many times over. Followed your recipe exactly and the end result was the perfect amount of sauce to ingredients. The only thing I did a little differently was that I added some kalamata olives as well. It makes a very generous amount so I have tried freezing a small container to see how that works. Thank you for a great recipe.
Great recipe thanks – just made it. I added some extra lemon juice for sharpness.
Peter
Tastes great but has too much soupiness in the sauce. Would melt a piece of toast. Was good until I put in the 2 cups of water. Was that too much? Taste is worth trying again, how do I avoid too much liquid? I have 8 eggplant bushes producing their hearts out so I really need this to work. Thanks. Claire Alt
Hi Claire, it should look exactly like the photos show; thick, and not at all soupy. In decades of making this, we’ve never had it so liquidy it would melt a piece of toast. I’d recommend double checking your measurements and/or simmering it down a bit further until you get the texture you prefer. Best of luck.
I love eggplant! Pinning this one for later, thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’ve never tried eggplant, but this recipe I need to try! Looks super scrumptious!
Thanks, Marsha! The nice thing about eggplant is that it absorbs other flavors. In caponata, it really soaks up the sweet, lightly-tangy tomato sauce as it sits. We love it and hope you will enjoy too!
Love anything with eggplant. This dish is something new, I would love to try it soon.
Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and this looks fantastic. The perfect appetizer to celebrate the new year.
Eggplant is one of my favorites, too, Ali! So versatile.
Recipes handed down from previous generations are absolutely the best recipes. I love Caponata, so this recipe is perfectly timed for me. I was wondering what to do with the eggplants ripening in the garden. Thanks!