New Twist on an Old Favorite

Recipe number two for today is a summertime version of one of my favorite dishes: Sicilian Caponata. Caponata is an eggplant relish with a sweet and sour flavor, but has a heavy flavor that makes it better for evenings or fall and spring meals. To modify this old favorite for the summertime, I've switched out purple eggplant for the sweeter, less intense white eggplant and used fresh tomatillos and cherry tomatoes instead of canned diced roma tomatoes. For some added freshness, I've used orange bell pepper as well. Enjoy!

2 small organic white eggplants
1 organic orange bell pepper
2 small celery stalks
2 small organic tomatillos
15 small homegrown cherry tomatoes
1/3 medium organic red onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
12 raisins or sultanas
1 1/2 tsp. caper berries
1 tsp. turbinado sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
dash of sea salt
dash of fresh ground black tellicherry pepper



Soak caper berries and raisins or sultanas in balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Chop eggplant, pepper, tomatillos, celery and onion into bite-sized chunks. In frying pan, heat 1/3 of the olive oil, onions, garlic, celery, salt, and pepper until onions are soft. Add in eggplant and 1/2 of the remaining olive oil. Cover and let cook on medium heat until eggplant skin has taken on some color. Add in cherry tomatoes and tomatillos. Recover and cook until cherry tomatoes are starting to pop. Add in balsamic vinegar, remaining olive oil, sugar and pepper. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add in sulatanas or raisins and caper berries, cover and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve as dip, spread, hot salad, or use as a stuffing for chicken or turkey. :) Serves 2-4. :)

Yum! :)