![]() ![]() ![]() My Sicilian hubby tells me that the proper way to make caponata is to cook each ingredient separately and then put it together. Some people say that salting isn’t necessary but I find that the eggplant absorbs less olive oil when you salt it beforehand. So it’s probably best to salt the eggplant before preparing the other ingredients. You will need to cut the eggplant into cubes and salt it for 30-60 minutes before rinsing and frying it. This type of eggplant has a dense whiter flesh and less seeds than the others, but of course you can use whichever you find available. The lighter coloured round Sicilian eggplants are what I used for this casarecce pasta caponata. There are three main kinds of eggplants cultivated in Sicily the very dark oval or long ones that most people outside of Italy know, long zebra eggplants which have a lighter striped skin and the more rotund, lighter coloured Sicilian eggplant. Eggplants (or you might call them aubergines) are to Sicily what potatoes are to Ireland. The Arabs introduced eggplants to the Sicilians in the 15 th century. However, nowadays the most popular fish pairings are grilled or pan fried swordfish or fresh tuna. In some places, they still sometimes make caponata with capone or even octopus. This recipe is quite rich and consists of a sort of toasted bread (perhaps today’s freselle) soaked with vinegar and seasoned with sugar, salt, pepper, oil, capone fish (sometimes replaced by mackerel), lettuce, escarole, cucumber, olives and sweet peppers! There’s a recipe for a fish-based caponata in an 1839 cookbook called ‘Theoretical and practical cuisine’ by Ippolito Cavalcanti. Capone, in particular, was an expensive and much sought after fish. Over time, the fish was replaced by eggplants among the poorer population, who could not afford to buy fish. Originally, the wealthier aristocratic Sicilians used to consume a fish-based caponata. In the past, caponata was normally a one plate meal accompanied by bread, often a dried bread. Another belief is that the name comes from the Latin noun ‘caupona’ (tavern) and from the adjective ‘cauponia’, meaning ‘tavern food’. In one theory, they say it derives from the capone or lambuga fish (mahi mahi), which Sicilians traditionally ate with a similar sweet and sour sauce. There are also various theories about the origin of the term ‘caponata’. Some people believe the Spanish introduced this dish to Sicily. In fact, caponata first appeared in written sources in the early 1700s. However, according to food historians, caponata is older than ratatouille. Sicilian caponata is similar to French ratatouille. There are even versions with cocoa powder! Sicilians say there are more than 30 versions of this dish on the island! A little caponata history. Other caponata recipes call for pine nuts, almonds, raisins, potatoes or garlic or fish. However, some recipes from Catania include peppers but others don’t! ![]() This is apparently typical of the versions from Trapani and Catania. In this casarecce pasta caponata, I have included sweet red and yellow peppers (peperoni in Italian). The latter are what give caponata its sweet and sour flavour. However, the usual basic ingredients are eggplant, celery, capers, onions, green olives, tomatoes, white wine vinegar and sugar. There are different recipes for this dish throughout Sicily. What is caponata?Ĭaponata is an eggplant based summer vegetable stew that Sicilians often serve as a cold antipasto or a side dish with fish. ![]() This sweet and sour Mediterranean veggie dish is delicious as a side with both meat and fish and, as in this recipe for casarecce pasta caponata, makes a fabulous pasta sauce! Pasta alla caponata is great warm or as a pasta salad. One of the most iconic dishes in Sicilian cooking is caponata. Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Casarecce Pasta Caponata ![]()
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