My niece brought the most gorgeous vegetables from her farm. We turned some of them into this glorious “caponata” and devoured it over my crusty toasty homemade bread. This may just be the perfect lunch.
Lisa & Ellie’s Caponata
1 eggplant
1 green pepper
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 zucchini
2 tomatoes (we used 1 yellow and 1 red)
A few dashes red wine vinegar
Salt, a pinch
Fresh basil, 6 to 8 leaves
Olive oil, just about 2 teaspoons, optional
Cut the eggplant into bite sized pieces. Heat a nonstick skillet and add the olive oil. Add the eggplant and cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften and has absorbed the oil.
To keep the dish oil free, sauté the eggplant in water.
Dice the onion and add to the eggplant. When it starts to soften, press the garlic over the onions and continue to cook.
Cut the green pepper into bite sized pieces and to the vegetables. Then, cut the zucchini into bite sized pieces and add into the mix.
Dice up the tomatoes and add them to the pan. Add as much of their juices as you can. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook down until a light sauce has formed and the vegetables are soft.
Pour the red wine vinegar over the vegetables and let it cook in. Chiffonade the basil and add to the mixture. Cook it down for a few more minutes until it looks good enough to eat.
To serve, place a few slices of good crusty bread under the broiler for a few minutes until it is toasted. Pour some caponata over the bread. Enjoy!