Lightened-up Caponata

It’s about time to get a lighter – and vegan – version of the popular Sicilian dish Caponata without compromise on taste Readers of Coconut and Berries might remember me talking about a certain old Italian friend of mine, Giovanni, and the Castagnaccio recipe he taught me to make. Today, I’m sharing another one of his specialities- Caponata! It’s a truly wonderful dish, a kind of thick aubergine (eggplant) stew or spread usually served as a side dish. It has that sweet/sour thing going on which is so popular in Sicilian recipes and which is a flavour profile I’m rather fond of. Giovanni’s version is delicious but I was a little horrified to see that it called for half a cup of oil! I’m not against cooking with oil and it definitely improves the flavour of food but that amount seemed a little excessive to me. I set about to come up with a lightened-up version which didn’t compromise on taste.   It turned out wonderfully and just as thick, sweet and fragrant as I remembered it. It’s best served at room temperature and gets even better after sitting in the fridge overnight. As well as part of a snacky lunch plate, I enjoyed it spread generously on crusty bread and on top of courgette noodles with lentils for a rounded meal. Basically, it’s good with anything! Lightened-up Caponata 2 Medium aubergines 2 Tbsp Olive oil, divided 1 Onion, diced 2 Sticks of celery, diced 1 Small red or yellow pepper, diced 3 Cloves of garlic 1 400g/14oz Can of chopped tomatoes 1 Tbsp Coconut sugar 1-1/2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar ¼ C Chopped Green olives (pitted) 3 Tbsp Capers Salt and pepper, to taste Preheat oven to 200C/400F, halve the aubergines lengthwise and place, cut side down, on a lined baking tray. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until soft and the skin is slightly wrinkled. Leave until cool enough to handle then roughly chop into large chunks. In a large pan over medium heat, cook the onion and celery for 5-10 minutes in 1 Tbsp of the oil. Add the garlic, diced pepper and a generous pinch of salt and continue to cook, stirring for another 5 minutes. Add the aubergine, the remaining Tbsp of oil, the tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, olives and capers. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the aubergine is very soft. Season to taste and allow to cool to room temperature before serving. (All photos by Emma Potts – All Rights Reserved)