🍆 Caponata

Name: Caponata
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italy · Sicily
Ingredients: 2 large aubergines, cut into 2 cm cubes; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, sliced; 2 celery sticks, sliced; 300 g tomato passata or chopped tomatoes; 80 g green olives, pitted; 2 tbsp capers, rinsed; 3 tbsp red vinegar and 1 tbsp sugar; Salt and fresh basil

Origin: Italy · Sicily

135kcal

per serving · 150 g

90kcal

per 100 g

2 gProtein1.5 g / 100 g

8 gFat5 g / 100 g

15 gCarbs10 g / 100 g

Caponata is a Sicilian sweet-and-sour stew of fried aubergine cooked with tomato, celery, onion, green olives and capers, then seasoned with vinegar and sugar. The vegetables turn soft and glossy while keeping some bite, and the flavour is tangy, salty and gently sweet. It is usually served at room temperature as a starter or side dish.

Diets

✓

Vegetarianno meat or fish in a typical recipe

✓

Veganno meat, fish or animal products in a typical recipe

✓

No pork

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Low-carb10 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Celery

What it is made of

eggplanttomatoceleryolivescapersvinegarsugar

Recipe

6 servings60 min

Ingredients

2 large aubergines, cut into 2 cm cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 celery sticks, sliced
300 g tomato passata or chopped tomatoes
80 g green olives, pitted
2 tbsp capers, rinsed
3 tbsp red vinegar and 1 tbsp sugar
Salt and fresh basil

Method

Salt the aubergine for 30 minutes, rinse and pat dry.
Fry or roast the aubergine with 2 tbsp of the oil until golden and soft.
In another pan soften the onion and celery in the remaining oil, add the tomato and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the olives, capers, vinegar, sugar and aubergine and simmer for 10 minutes.
Cool to room temperature and finish with basil.

How to make it lighter

Roast the aubergine in the oven instead of frying it — aubergine soaks up a lot of oil.
Cut the oil to 1–2 tbsp in total; 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
Serve it on grilled vegetables or with lean protein as a light main course.

History

Caponata is one of the best-known dishes of Sicily, and its sweet-and-sour seasoning is often linked to the island's Arab and Spanish past. The origin of the name is debated, and recipes vary from town to town. It is still made in Sicilian homes, especially in summer when aubergines are in season.

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Similar dishes

Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →