Caponata

Baba ganoush is one of my favourite things to both make and eat, it has even converted friends who have a committed dislike of aubergine, it is understandable then that I am also a big fan of caponata. This dish, which is perfect as an accompaniment to grilled fish, is also great to serve at the beginning of a meal with crusty bread. My version has red and yellow peppers to add flavour, colour and texture. Since my daughter introduced me to the practise of cooking garlic until it takes on a little colour, something she picked up while living in Brazil, I have been applying it wherever I can, including this caponata.

You will need:
2 aubergine
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 or 4 spring onions
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
olive oil
salt & black pepper.


Begin by preparing the vegetables, the aubergine and peppers need to be cut into fine dice, finely slice the spring onions and finely chop the garlic. Cook the garlic in 3 tablespoons of oil until slightly coloured but not burned. Remove the garlic from the pan and add the aubergine, cook gently on medium heat until the aubergine and translucent and taking on a bit of colour. Add the peppers and spring onions and continue to cook for 2 or 3 minutes before returning the cooked garlic to the pan along with the chopped tomatoes, oregano and seasoning. Stir well and turn down the heat, place a lid on the pan and continue cooking on a low heat for a further fifteen minutes. Check after 5 minutes or so to ensure the caponata is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Simply stir if it is and make sure the heat is as low as it can be. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If I am serving this as a starter, I put it in a bowl and like baba ganoush I dripple a little extra olive oil on top.

I'm not convinced even delicious Caponata would go well with Cheerio!