Recipe: Jewish Caponata (Caponata Ebraica)

JEWISH CAPONATA (CAPONATA EBRAICA)
Source: The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews, I: Traditional Recipes and Menus and a Memoir of a Vanished Way of Life by Eddi Servi Machlin
Servings: 6 as side dish or 12 as an appetizer

3 lb eggplant
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 green, red and yellow bell peppers, cored and diced
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 tsp flour
2 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled* and cut up
1 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
3 fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp capers, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel and dice eggplant. Season with salt and pepper and set aside in colander to drain off liquid.

Heat the oil in a large skillet; add celery, onion, peppers, garlic and carrot and cook, uncovered, over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer vegetables to shallow baking dish, but retain the oil.

Add eggplant to oil in skillet and sprinkle with flour. Fry, stirring, over moderate heat, until lightly golden.

Add to baking dish with vegetables. Add tomatoes, green olives, vinegar, sugar, basil and parsley.

Place in 350F oven for 1/2 hour.

Remove from oven; mix well, taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper if necessary. Add capers, stir and place in oven for a couple of minutes longer.

Serve hot as a side dish or cold as an appetizer.

*To peel tomatoes, drop them first into boiling water for about 1 minute, then in cool water and the peel will come off immediately.