Eggplant Caponata

Caponata makes a great hors d'oeuvres. This recipe can be made ahead of time and chilled, then brought back to room temperature just before serving. Serve it with slices of Italian bread or pita bread.

To start, place 2 tablespoons of golden raisins in a bowl; pour hot water over the raisins and let stand for fifteen minutes. Drain and set aside.

Place 3 cups diced, peeled eggplant (about 1/2 lb) in a colandar. Sprinkle with 3/4 tsp of salt; toss well and let drain for one hour. Rinse well and pat dry with paper towels.

Heat one and a half tsp of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and saute for nine minutes. Set aside. Using the same skillet, heat another 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Add 1/2 cup chopped onion and saute for three minutes. Add one minced garlic clove and saute another minute, then 1/2 cup diced, seeded plum tomato and saute an additional 2 minutes. Add the tomato mixture to the eggplant and set aside.

Return the skillet to heat and add two tablespoons of granulated (raw) sugar, and two tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Cook until sugar dissolves, stirring (less than a minute). Add the raisins from earlier in the recipe, two tablespoons chopped kalamata olives and one teaspoon capers. Stir to combine, then add in the reserved eggplant mixture. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Stir in three tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley.

You can serve it warm or at room temperature. A 1/4 cup has 60 calories.

Today was a good example of making sure to read a recipe all the way through before beginning! I was simultaneously trying to do a whole batch of other things, and added a *quarter* cup of tomato, not a *half* cup, and had to quickly remove the pan from heat, seed and chop another tomato, return the pan to heat... you get the idea. So as always, make sure to read a recipe from front to back and know what amounts of what ingredients you're using before you have your pan over the stove!

Cost:
golden raisins $2.60
eggplant $1.57
onion $1.00
plum tomato $0.94
kalamata olives $4.99