Today's vegetable recipe: Eggplant, onion and tomato cooked til soft, deepened with red wine vinegar and capers. Low carb. Weight Watchers zero points!!
No beating eggplant: it's cheap, healthful and cooks up in a million ways. Now meet my new favorite way to cook it, caponata, the spread, the 'scoop', the salad, the eggplant-tomato mix that there was no getting enough of this past week.
Serve it as a healthful appetizer or a side dish served at room temperature aside fish or pork or chicken. I served it with flatbread for an afternoon outing: very tasty, especially with feta and olives on the side.
UPDATE: For readers who respond to 'visual cues', please know that the size of the chopped vegetables in the photograph is good for a side dish. For an appetizer that's easy to spread, chop much smaller.
CAPONATA
Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 1 hour
Makes 5 cups
Time to table: 1 hour
Makes 5 cups
1 tablespoon olive oil (reduced from 5 tablespoons, just not needed!)
1 large onion, diced
4 or more garlic cloves, chopped
1 anchovy, mashed (optional but wonderful)
1 large globe eggplant, tip and tail trimmed, skin on, cut into very small dice (the smaller it is, the easier it will be to spread on bread or crackers)
2 large fresh tomatoes, diced small
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons capers
Salt & pepper to taste
OPTIONAL
Kalamata olives (can be added with the tomato)
Fresh basil (can be stirred in after caponata is cooked and cooled)
Toasted pine nuts (these are traditionally used to sprinkle on top)
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil til shimmery on MEDIUM HIGH. Add the onion, garlic, anchovy and eggplant as they're prepped, stirring to coat with fat each time. Cook, stirring often, until eggplant has softened and become slightly brown, about 15 minutes. Add the tomato, vinegar and capers. Cover and let cook until eggplant and onion are very tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste. Serve warm, at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.
SUMMER APPETIZER RECIPES
~ Beet Pesto ~
~ Green Chutney ~
~ Easy Easy Radish Spread ~
~ more appetizer recipes from A Veggie Venture ~
~ more appetizer recipes from Kitchen Parade, my food column ~
~ more eggplant recipes ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~
~ Beet Pesto ~
~ Green Chutney ~
~ Easy Easy Radish Spread ~
~ more appetizer recipes from A Veggie Venture ~
~ more appetizer recipes from Kitchen Parade, my food column ~
~ more eggplant recipes ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
~ more low-carb recipes ~
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A Veggie Venture is home of eggplant lover and 'veggie evangelist' Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2008
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2008
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