SWEET AND SOUR MARINATED VEGETABLES

Sweet and Sour Marinated Vegetables image

Sometimes I peel eggplants completely, sometimes not at all. Leaving the peel on adds a slightly bitter taste-which I like-but also helps the eggplant hold its shape after you cut it into cubes or slices. If you want the best of both worlds, remove thick stripes of peel from the eggplant, leaving half the peel intact. Caponata can last several days in the refrigerator and is even better after marinating for a day. It is best eaten at room temperature, so remove it from the refrigerator about 2 hours before serving. Caponata is usually served as part of an antipasto assortment, although it makes a wonderful summer contorno, or side dish, to grilled meats or fish.

Yield Makes 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch squares
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 medium eggplant, stem removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup cubed (1/2-inch) zucchini
1 medium white onion, cut into large cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pitted green olives
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 tablespoon tiny capers, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (page 9)
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Steps:

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Stir in the red pepper and cook 1 minute. Drain thoroughly.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until a cube of eggplant dipped in the oil gives off a lively sizzle. Add the eggplant cubes and fry, stirring and turning them so they cook evenly, until the eggplant is golden brown on all sides. Remove the eggplant with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
Heat the olive oil in a separate large skillet. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion to the oil remaining in pan and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the celery and cook until the vegetables are wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the raisins, green olives, pine nuts, capers, and blanched pepper. Season with salt and pepper to taste and continue cooking, stirring, until the vegetables are soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and cook until they are softened, about 5 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, make the sugar-mint syrup. Bring the vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the sugar and the mint, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.
Pour the syrup into the skillet of vegetables and cook until the vegetables are very soft and juicy but not broken up-you should be able to see the shape of each vegetable-3 to 4 minutes. Finally, stir in the eggplant and zucchini and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Cool completely before refrigerating.