Caponata

Name: Caponata
Total time: 1 h 27 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 800 g Aubergine; 1 tsp Fine salt; 60 ml Extra-virgin olive oil; 150 g White onion; 150 g Celery; 20 ml Extra-virgin olive oil; 400 g Plum tomatoes; 80 g pitted green olives; 40 g Capers; 60 ml Red wine vinegar; 15 g Sugar; 0.25 tsp Fine salt; 0.5 tsp Ground black pepper; 30 g pine nuts; 10 g Fresh basil leaves

1 hr 27 min · 29 min active · makes ~1.85 kg · Medium

Sicilian eggplant caponata with green olives and capers, a sweet and tangy vegetable stew served for four.

See more →

Caponata

Sicilian eggplant caponata with green olives and capers, a sweet and tangy vegetable stew served for four.

See more →

TOTAL TIME

1 hr 27 min

ACTIVE TIME

29 min

QUANTITY

~1.85 kg

DIFFICULTY

Medium

CUISINE

—

Who’s eating

Cooking for A typical adult.

This should leave everyone comfortably full.

Portions & fullness

Ingredients0/13

Tools0/13

Ingredients

0/13 gathered · 4 servings

800g

1.25tsp

80ml

150g

400g

80g

40g

60ml

15g

0.5tsp

30g

10g

#	Quantity	Notes	State
1	800g	—	—
2	1.25tsp	—	—
3	80ml	—	—
4	150g	—	—
5	150g	—	—
6	400g	—	—
7	80g	—	—
8	40g	—	—
9	60ml	—	—
10	15g	—	—
11	0.5tsp	—	—
12	30g	—	—
13	10g	—	—

Tools

13 items

Serveware

1 item

Procedure

36 steps

1 of 36

Set the aubergines on the chopping board.

Aubergine · 800 g

⏱ 5s

ResultAubergine

2 of 36

Cut the aubergines into roughly 2 cm cubes.

Aubergine · step 1

⏱ 1 min 30s

ResultCubed aubergine

3 of 36

Tip the cubed aubergine into the large bowl.

Cubed aubergine · step 2

⏱ 10s

ResultCubed aubergine

4 of 36

Scatter the salt over the aubergine and toss to coat evenly.

Fine salt · 1 tsp

⏱ 10s

ResultCubed aubergine and fine salt

5 of 36

Leave the aubergine to stand for 30 minutes so the salt draws out the bitter juices.

⏱ 30 min

ResultSalted aubergine

6 of 36

Lift the salted aubergine out of the bowl onto the chopping board and press each cube firmly with kitchen paper to dry it well.

⏱ 1 min

ResultDried aubergine cubesused in step 16

7 of 36

Place the white onion on the chopping board.

White onion · 150 g

⏱ 5s

ResultWhite onion

8 of 36

Peel the onion and discard the papery skin.

White onion · step 7

⏱ 20s

ResultPeeled onion

9 of 36

Slice the peeled onion thinly into half-moons.

Peeled onion · step 8

⏱ 30s

ResultThinly sliced onions

10 of 36

Slide the sliced onion off the board into the small bowl and set aside.

Thinly sliced onions · step 9

⏱ 10s

ResultThinly sliced onionsused in step 23

11 of 36

Lay the celery stalks on the chopping board.

Celery · 150 g

⏱ 5s

ResultCelery

12 of 36

Trim the ends from the celery stalks and discard them.

Celery · step 11

⏱ 20s

ResultTrimmed celery

13 of 36

Slice the trimmed celery into pieces about 1 cm thick on the diagonal.

Trimmed celery · step 12

⏱ 30s

ResultSliced celeryused in step 21

14 of 36

Pour the olive oil into the large frying pan.

Extra-virgin olive oil · 60 ml

⏱ 5s

ResultMeasured oil

15 of 36

Set the pan over a high heat and warm the oil until it shimmers.

⏱ 1 min

ResultHot oil

16 of 36

Add the dried aubergine cubes to the hot oil in a single layer.

Dried aubergine cubes · step 6

⏱ 10s

ResultDried aubergine cubes and hot oil

17 of 36

Fry the aubergine, turning occasionally with tongs, until deep golden on all sides.

⏱ 8 min

ResultGolden-fried aubergine

18 of 36

Lift the fried aubergine out with a slotted spoon onto the plate, leaving any remaining oil in the pan.

Golden-fried aubergine · step 17

⏱ 15s

ResultGolden-fried aubergineused in step 31

19 of 36

Add the olive oil to the frying pan with its residual oil.

Extra-virgin olive oil · 20 mlGolden-fried aubergine · step 18

⏱ 5s

ResultGolden-fried aubergine and extra-virgin olive oil

20 of 36

Set the pan over a medium heat and warm the oil.

⏱ 30s

ResultWarm oil

21 of 36

Add the sliced celery to the pan.

Sliced celery · step 13

⏱ 10s

ResultWarm oil and sliced celery

22 of 36

Stir the celery over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until it begins to soften.

⏱ 5 min

ResultSoftened celery

23 of 36

Add the sliced onion from the bowl to the pan.

Thinly sliced onions · step 10

⏱ 10s

ResultSoftened celery and thinly sliced onions

24 of 36

Cook the onion and celery together, stirring regularly, for about 7 minutes until the onion is completely soft and translucent.

⏱ 7 min

ResultSoftened onion and celery

25 of 36

Tip the plum tomatoes into the pan, crushing them roughly with your hand as you add them.

Plum tomatoes · 400 g

⏱ 10s

ResultSoftened onion and celery and plum tomatoes

26 of 36

Stir everything together and let the sauce simmer gently for 10 minutes, breaking up any large tomato pieces with the spoon, until it thickens slightly.

⏱ 10 min

ResultReduced tomato sauce

27 of 36

Stir the green olives into the sauce.

Pitted green olives · 80 g

⏱ 10s

ResultReduced tomato sauce and pitted green olives

28 of 36

Add the capers and stir them through.

Capers · 40 g

⏱ 10s

ResultReduced tomato sauce and pitted green olives and capers

29 of 36

Pour in the red wine vinegar and stir well.

Red wine vinegar · 60 ml

⏱ 10s

ResultReduced tomato sauce mixture

30 of 36

Scatter in the sugar and stir to dissolve it into the sauce.

Sugar · 15 g

⏱ 10s

ResultReduced tomato sauce mixture

31 of 36

Return the fried aubergine to the pan and fold it gently through the sauce.

Golden-fried aubergine · step 18

⏱ 10s

ResultGolden-fried aubergine and reduced tomato sauce mixture

32 of 36

Simmer everything together gently for a further 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the flavours meld and the sauce clings to the aubergine.

⏱ 10 min

ResultReduced sweet-sour base

33 of 36

Scatter the salt evenly over the caponata and stir it through.

Fine salt · 0.25 tsp

⏱ 10s

ResultSalted sweet-sour base

34 of 36

Spoon the ground black pepper over the caponata and stir it through.

Ground black pepper · 0.5 tsp

⏱ 10s

ResultSeasoned sweet-sour baseused in step 37

35 of 36

Tip the pine nuts into the small frying pan.

Pine nuts · 30 g

⏱ 5s

ResultPine nuts

36 of 36

Toast the pine nuts over a medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, until they are golden and fragrant.

⏱ 3 min

ResultToasted pine nutsused in step 38

Total Time1 hr 27 min

#	Product	Action
1	800 g	Set the aubergines on the chopping board.⏱ 5sResultAubergine
2	Auberginestep 1	Cut the aubergines into roughly 2 cm cubes.⏱ 1 min 30sResultCubed aubergine
3	Cubed auberginestep 2	Tip the cubed aubergine into the large bowl.⏱ 10sResultCubed aubergine
4	1 tsp	Scatter the salt over the aubergine and toss to coat evenly.⏱ 10sResultCubed aubergine and fine salt
5	—	Leave the aubergine to stand for 30 minutes so the salt draws out the bitter juices.⏱ 30 minResultSalted aubergine
6	—	Lift the salted aubergine out of the bowl onto the chopping board and press each cube firmly with kitchen paper to dry it well.⏱ 1 minResultDried aubergine cubesused in step 16
7	150 g	Place the white onion on the chopping board.⏱ 5sResultWhite onion
8	White onionstep 7	Peel the onion and discard the papery skin.⏱ 20sResultPeeled onion
9	Peeled onionstep 8	Slice the peeled onion thinly into half-moons.⏱ 30sResultThinly sliced onions
10	Thinly sliced onionsstep 9	Slide the sliced onion off the board into the small bowl and set aside.⏱ 10sResultThinly sliced onionsused in step 23
11	150 g	Lay the celery stalks on the chopping board.⏱ 5sResultCelery
12	Celerystep 11	Trim the ends from the celery stalks and discard them.⏱ 20sResultTrimmed celery
13	Trimmed celerystep 12	Slice the trimmed celery into pieces about 1 cm thick on the diagonal.⏱ 30sResultSliced celeryused in step 21
14	60 ml	Pour the olive oil into the large frying pan.⏱ 5sResultMeasured oil
15	—	Set the pan over a high heat and warm the oil until it shimmers.⏱ 1 minResultHot oil
16	Dried aubergine cubesstep 6	Add the dried aubergine cubes to the hot oil in a single layer.⏱ 10sResultDried aubergine cubes and hot oil
17	—	Fry the aubergine, turning occasionally with tongs, until deep golden on all sides.⏱ 8 minResultGolden-fried aubergine
18	Golden-fried auberginestep 17	Lift the fried aubergine out with a slotted spoon onto the plate, leaving any remaining oil in the pan.⏱ 15sResultGolden-fried aubergineused in step 31
19	20 ml	Add the olive oil to the frying pan with its residual oil.⏱ 5sResultGolden-fried aubergine and extra-virgin olive oil
19	Golden-fried auberginestep 18
20	—	Set the pan over a medium heat and warm the oil.⏱ 30sResultWarm oil
21	Sliced celerystep 13	Add the sliced celery to the pan.⏱ 10sResultWarm oil and sliced celery
22	—	Stir the celery over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until it begins to soften.⏱ 5 minResultSoftened celery
23	Thinly sliced onionsstep 10	Add the sliced onion from the bowl to the pan.⏱ 10sResultSoftened celery and thinly sliced onions
24	—	Cook the onion and celery together, stirring regularly, for about 7 minutes until the onion is completely soft and translucent.⏱ 7 minResultSoftened onion and celery
25	400 g	Tip the plum tomatoes into the pan, crushing them roughly with your hand as you add them.⏱ 10sResultSoftened onion and celery and plum tomatoes
26	—	Stir everything together and let the sauce simmer gently for 10 minutes, breaking up any large tomato pieces with the spoon, until it thickens slightly.⏱ 10 minResultReduced tomato sauce
27	80 g	Stir the green olives into the sauce.⏱ 10sResultReduced tomato sauce and pitted green olives
28	40 g	Add the capers and stir them through.⏱ 10sResultReduced tomato sauce and pitted green olives and capers
29	60 ml	Pour in the red wine vinegar and stir well.⏱ 10sResultReduced tomato sauce mixture
30	15 g	Scatter in the sugar and stir to dissolve it into the sauce.⏱ 10sResultReduced tomato sauce mixture
31	Golden-fried auberginestep 18	Return the fried aubergine to the pan and fold it gently through the sauce.⏱ 10sResultGolden-fried aubergine and reduced tomato sauce mixture
32	—	Simmer everything together gently for a further 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the flavours meld and the sauce clings to the aubergine.⏱ 10 minResultReduced sweet-sour base
33	0.25 tsp	Scatter the salt evenly over the caponata and stir it through.⏱ 10sResultSalted sweet-sour base
34	0.5 tsp	Spoon the ground black pepper over the caponata and stir it through.⏱ 10sResultSeasoned sweet-sour baseused in step 37
35	30 g	Tip the pine nuts into the small frying pan.⏱ 5sResultPine nuts
36	—	Toast the pine nuts over a medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, until they are golden and fragrant.⏱ 3 minResultToasted pine nutsused in step 38
Total Time		1 hr 27 min

Serving

Spoon the caponata into the serving dish and spread it out evenly.
Scatter the toasted pine nuts over the caponata.
Tear the basil leaves and scatter them over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature; caponata is even better the next day.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated · pre-cooking · 100% ingredients covered

Nutrient	Per serving
	360kcal
	5g
	28g
	4g
	26g
	17g
	9g
	1,310mg

Ingredients0/13

Tools0/13

Recipe

Caponata

Sicilian eggplant caponata with green olives and capers, a sweet and tangy vegetable stew served for four.

What you’ll doYou will salt aubergine cubes and leave them to rest, then fry them until golden. Separately, you'll soften celery and onion, add tomatoes and simmer until the sauce thickens, then fold in the fried aubergine along with olives, capers, vinegar and sugar. The whole dish simmers together for flavour to develop. Toast pine nuts whilst the caponata finishes, then finish with fresh basil.

Serves4

Total1 hr 27 min

LevelMedium

Ingredients

Aubergine800 g
Fine salt1.25 tsp
Extra-virgin olive oil80 ml
White onion150 g
Celery150 g
Plum tomatoes400 g
Pitted green olives80 g
Capers40 g
Red wine vinegar60 ml
Sugar15 g
Ground black pepper0.5 tsp
Pine nuts30 g
Fresh basil leaves10 g

Tools

Small frying panTongsSmall bowlServing dishLarge frying panChef's knifeLarge bowlSlotted spoonWooden spoonLarge spoonPlateKitchen paperChopping board

Method

Set the aubergines on the chopping board.

5sChopping boardAubergine · 800 g

Cut the aubergines into roughly 2 cm cubes.

1 min 30sChopping board, Chefs knifeAubergine · step 1

Tip the cubed aubergine into the large bowl.

10sLarge bowlCubed aubergine · step 2

Scatter the salt over the aubergine and toss to coat evenly.

10sLarge bowlFine salt · 1 tsp

Leave the aubergine to stand for 30 minutes so the salt draws out the bitter juices.

30 minLarge bowl

Lift the salted aubergine out of the bowl onto the chopping board and press each cube firmly with kitchen paper to dry it well.

Result · Dried aubergine cubes · used in step 16

1 minChopping board, Kitchen paper

Place the white onion on the chopping board.

5sChopping boardWhite onion · 150 g

Peel the onion and discard the papery skin.

20sChopping board, Chefs knifeWhite onion · step 7

Slice the peeled onion thinly into half-moons.

30sChopping board, Chefs knifePeeled onion · step 8

Slide the sliced onion off the board into the small bowl and set aside.

Result · Thinly sliced onions · used in step 23

10sSmall bowl, Chefs knifeThinly sliced onions · step 9

Lay the celery stalks on the chopping board.

5sChopping boardCelery · 150 g

Trim the ends from the celery stalks and discard them.

20sChopping board, Chefs knifeCelery · step 11

Slice the trimmed celery into pieces about 1 cm thick on the diagonal.

Result · Sliced celery · used in step 21

30sChopping board, Chefs knifeTrimmed celery · step 12

Pour the olive oil into the large frying pan.

5sLarge frying panExtra-virgin olive oil · 60 ml

Set the pan over a high heat and warm the oil until it shimmers.

1 minLarge frying pan

Add the dried aubergine cubes to the hot oil in a single layer.

10sLarge frying panDried aubergine cubes · step 6

Fry the aubergine, turning occasionally with tongs, until deep golden on all sides.

8 minLarge frying pan, Tongs

Lift the fried aubergine out with a slotted spoon onto the plate, leaving any remaining oil in the pan.

Result · Golden-fried aubergine · used in step 31

15sPlate, Slotted spoonGolden-fried aubergine · step 17

Add the olive oil to the frying pan with its residual oil.

5sLarge frying panExtra-virgin olive oil · 20 ml

Set the pan over a medium heat and warm the oil.

30sLarge frying pan

Add the sliced celery to the pan.

10sLarge frying panSliced celery · step 13

Stir the celery over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until it begins to soften.

5 minLarge frying pan, Wooden spoon

Add the sliced onion from the bowl to the pan.

10sLarge frying panThinly sliced onions · step 10

Cook the onion and celery together, stirring regularly, for about 7 minutes until the onion is completely soft and translucent.

7 minLarge frying pan, Wooden spoon

Tip the plum tomatoes into the pan, crushing them roughly with your hand as you add them.

10sLarge frying panPlum tomatoes · 400 g

Stir everything together and let the sauce simmer gently for 10 minutes, breaking up any large tomato pieces with the spoon, until it thickens slightly.

10 minLarge frying pan, Wooden spoon

Stir the green olives into the sauce.

10sLarge frying panPitted green olives · 80 g

Add the capers and stir them through.

10sLarge frying panCapers · 40 g

Pour in the red wine vinegar and stir well.

10sLarge frying panRed wine vinegar · 60 ml

Scatter in the sugar and stir to dissolve it into the sauce.

10sLarge frying panSugar · 15 g

Return the fried aubergine to the pan and fold it gently through the sauce.

10sLarge frying panGolden-fried aubergine · step 18

Simmer everything together gently for a further 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the flavours meld and the sauce clings to the aubergine.

10 minLarge frying pan, Wooden spoon

Scatter the salt evenly over the caponata and stir it through.

10sLarge frying panFine salt · 0.25 tsp

Spoon the ground black pepper over the caponata and stir it through.

Result · Seasoned sweet-sour base · used in step 37

10sLarge frying panGround black pepper · 0.5 tsp

Tip the pine nuts into the small frying pan.

5sSmall frying panPine nuts · 30 g

Toast the pine nuts over a medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, until they are golden and fragrant.

Result · Toasted pine nuts · used in step 38

3 minSmall frying pan

Spoon the caponata into the serving dish and spread it out evenly.

20sServing dish, Large spoonSeasoned sweet-sour base · step 34

Scatter the toasted pine nuts over the caponata.

10sServing dishToasted pine nuts · step 36

Tear the basil leaves and scatter them over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature; caponata is even better the next day.

Result · Caponata

15sServing dishFresh basil leaves · 10 g

Printed 11 October 2026