Caponata
Fall Recipe that Brings Back Memories
Growing up in the 1960s, ethnic food was not so much a big thing. My mother did a loving job of feeding our family of six and there were some treats I recall. One was a diminutive can of caponata — a smidge of an offering, served on a thin rye krisp, just enough for one or maybe two for whoever wanted one. It felt exotic somehow to eat a food from another place with ingredients that were not part of our typical diet.
Fast forward 50 years, this morning I picked the last chapter of eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and onions from the garden and our little hoop house, and I knew exactly what I would make!
The word caponata might come from the Catalan word cap-i-pota, or “head and feet,” for when the dish originated, it often had fish — head to tail incorporated. For me it’s a head to tail of what’s left in the garden; it’s uncomplicated and forgiving like any good friend, and warming as the days cool down.
Caponata was born in Sicily, maybe in Jewish kitchens there, certainly at the nexus of Arab, Spanish, Italian, and Greek cuisines. When times were tough, the aubergine, or eggplant, was substituted for fish and that’s where most caponata recipes land today.
I love to serve caponata warm with steaming rice. You can also serve room temperature as an appetizer with some crackers pieces of…
