Caponata (Sicilian Eggplant and Vegetables)

Instructions

Pull the tough strings from the celery ribs and blanch them in lightly salted water for five minutes. Drain, cut into bite-size pieces, sauté in a little oil until lightly colored, and set aside.

Dice the eggplant, drain it, and toss it generously with salt. Leave it for several hours so the salt draws out the bitterness. Meanwhile, blanch the tomatoes, then peel, seed, and chop them.

Rinse the salt off the eggplant and pat the pieces dry. Slice the onions finely and sauté them in olive oil until translucent, then add the capers, pine nuts, olives, and tomatoes.

Keep cooking and stirring with a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down. Take the pot off the heat.

While the tomatoes cook, heat oil in a second pan and fry the eggplant in batches, so the oil stays hot and the pieces fry rather than steam. Return the tomato pot to the heat and stir in the fried eggplant and the sautéed celery.

Cook over a low flame for several minutes, stirring gently. Add the vinegar and sugar and continue until the vinegar has almost completely evaporated, then remove from the heat and let the caponata cool.

Serve cold, garnished with fresh basil. It keeps for several days in the refrigerator.