Easy Traditional Caponata Siracusana. This is a beautiful side dish or appetizer that has amazing flavor and texture. Lovely peppers, onions, celery and eggplant fried separately then mixed with capers and olives with a touch of red wine vinegar, will have your tastebuds wanting more!
Easy Traditional Caponata Siracusana,
I am a real people person. Striking up conversation with people is one of my passions and sometimes you get a little more from the exchange, like a recipe.
Nicoletta has neighbors in Rome, Antonio and Rosaria. We happened to bump into them last summer when we were in Sperlonga, a lovely beach town south of Rome. I got to know them better, and as usual, our conversation went to food. I was fortunate to hear about a dish that Antonio used to make in Sicily when he was there for work. He told me that this Caponata Siracusana (Siracusa is located in the southeast corner of the island of Sicily) is slightly different as it often happens with regional variations of every Italian recipe. He has been makings this caponata in Rome for his family for a very long time, and it is always well received.
Well, Nicoletta and I were fortunate to get the recipe for this Easy Traditional Caponata Siracusana, and we are so excited to share it with you today. Grazie mille, Antonio, per la ricetta, è proprio buonissima!
Ingredients for this Easy Traditional Caponata Siracusana,
We can't reiterate enough how important great quality ingredients are for a recipe to be great. Especially a recipe with few ingredients, where each one needs to shine. I bought the veggies from our local farmers market, while the e.v.o. oil, capers, and red wine vinegar from our local Italian store. Here is what you need for this recipe:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Medium sized eggplant
- Red bell pepper
- Celery
- Yellow onion
- Capers
- Green olives (Castelvetrano or Cerignola)
- Red wine vinegar
- Fine sea salt
Prepping the vegetables
This is a traditional recipe, and with that, the prep is very important. Wash all your veggies, and let's get started.
Peel the eggplant and cut into long thick slices. Then dice into small cubes. Do the same for the onion, red pepper, and celery. Place evrything in seperate bowls and get your capers into a ramekin. Pit your olives and cut in half.
Now time to start frying. In a medium saute pan, drizzle enough e.v.o. oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Throw in your onions and fry until soft and golden. Take out with a slotted spoon and place in a larger bowl. In the same pan as you fried the onions, do the same with the eggplant. You may need to add more oil as the eggplant does absorb a bit. Fry until golden and soft. Again, use a slotted spoon to scoop them up and in they go with the fried onions.
Next in line for frying is the celery. Fry in the same pan as the onion and eggplant until soft but also a bit al dente. Scoop out, letting any excess oil drip off the slotted spoon. Into the bowl with the other fried veggies it goes.
Last but not least, in that same pan drizzle a bit more oil and fry up the red pepper. Cook until a slight char appears on the surface.
The last steps of this Easy Traditional Caponata Siracusana
We are almost finished, just a few more things to do to finish off this delightful Easy Traditional Caponata Siracusana. Here is what you need to do:
- The peppers are in the pan, throw all the other fried veggies back into the pan. Turn off the heat.
- Toss in the capers, and the olives and give it all a good toss.
- Pour in the vinegar, and toss again. Season with a light sprinkling of salt, taste and add more salt if necessary
Grab a lovely serving dish or bowl. I decided on a vintage Italian ceramic oval plate. Pour the Caponata into the dish and this Easy Traditional Caponata Siracusana, is ready to be served.
Pro tip:
Caponata is best served the next day for maximum flavor and texture. After you have finished, place it in an airtight container and put it in the fridge until you want to serve it. Take it out about 20 minutes before serving and leave it on the counter at room temperature.
Time to taste this Easy Traditional Caponata Siracusana
What I love about this dish is the perfect balance of flavor and texture achieved by frying all those veggies separately. The eggplant is plump, the red peppers offer a slight smoke and sweetness. The onion so luxurious, and the celery has that bit of bite. Add in the brine of the capers, and the lovely umami of the olives, with that slight acidity of the red wine vinegar, and you have a mouthful that truly sings like a symphony in your mouth.
Serving suggestions
Caponata is usually served as a side dish to fish, meat, or main. However, it also can be served as an appetizer with some bread or focaccia on the side, along with a nice charcuterie board. I love putting it in my panino, it adds lovely flavor and texture to your favorite sandwich.
Grazie ancora, Antonio, per questa bella ricetta!
Thank you all of you who have come to our kitchen to learn how to make this Easy Traditional Caponata Siracusana. It was such a pleasure sharing it with you. Don't be afraid to write a comment, or ask a question. We would love to hear from you !
Buon Appetito!
PrintEasy Traditional Caponata Siracusana
Easy Traditional Caponata Siracusana, a beautiful side dish or appetizer that has amazing flavor and texture. Lovely peppers, onions, celery and eggplant are fried separately then mixed with capers and olives with a slight red wine vinegar backdrop.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: serves 4 people 1x
- Category: appetizer/side dish
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + as needed
- 1 medium size eggplant
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 yellow onion
- 100 g green olives
- 50-70 g capers in brine
- ⅛ cup of red wine vinegar
- salt
Instructions
Prepping the vegetables:
- Peel and cut the eggpland into long thick slices. Then dice into small cubes about ½ inch in size.
- Peel onion and cut into cubes the same size as the eggplant.
- Do the same for the celery and red pepper.
- Place each vegetable in a separate bowl.
- Drain the capers and place in a ramekin.
- Pit the olives and cut in half and place in a small bowl.
Frying the vegetables:
- Firstly, grab a medium size slightly deep saute pan. Drizzle in enough evo oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to mediumto high, and toss in onions once oil is hot.
- Cook for about 10 minutes or until onions are soft but still hold their shape. Look for a nice golden color, too. Scoop out with a slotted spoon, allowing any excess oil to drip off. Place in a larger bowl. Place the pan back on the heat.
- Secondly, toss the cubed eggplant into the pan that you cooked the onion. You may need to add some evo oil as eggplant absorbs the oil a bit. Fry for 15 minutes, or until eggplant is plump and golden brown on the outside. Scoop with the slotted spoon and place in the bowl with the onions. Place pan back on heat.
- Thirdly, time to fry up the celery. Add some evo oil in the pan if it seems there is not enough to fry. Toss in the celery and fry for 10 minutes, then scoop out with the slotted spoon and place in the bowl with the onion and eggplant. Place pan back on heat.
- Lastly, toss the red peppers into the pan, add evo oil, if necessary. Cook for about 15 minutes or until diced peppers are soft with some char on the surface. Turn off heat.
Bringing it all together:
- Pour the fried onion, eggplant, and celery into the pan with the red peppers. Toss in the capers, and olives. Give it a good toss.
- Pour in the red wine vinegar and season lightly with salt. Mix it up making sure that it is well incorporated.
- Taste and see if it needs more salt, add if necessary.
- Place in a Tupperware and put in the fridge. Caponata is best served the next day.
Plating:
- Place the caponata onto a nice serving dish or bowl.
- Ready to serve.
Notes
It is important that all the vegges are diced and somewhat the same size.
Do not season when frying, leave that to the last step.
Caponata is best served the day after it is made, so place it in a airtight container and put it in the fridge. When you want to serve it, take it out of the fridge and let it warm up a bit at room temperature. Then serve.
Caponata can be served as a side dish with any fish, meat or main. It can also be served as an appetizer on a crostini.
I like to put it in my panino as a garnish.
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
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