Best 5 Caponata Cold Eggplant Aubergine Appetizer Recipes

Caponata is a delectable Sicilian dish that showcases the flavors of eggplant, tomatoes, celery, onions, capers, and olives. It is a versatile appetizer or side dish that can be served cold or warm. The combination of sweet and savory ingredients creates a symphony of flavors that will tantalize your taste buds. Best of all, caponata is easy to make and can be enjoyed all year round. In this article, we will provide you with the best recipe to cook caponata, a cold eggplant aubergine appetizer that is sure to impress your family and friends.

Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!

EGGPLANT CAPONATA (SICILIAN VERSION)

Eggplant Caponata (Sicilian Version) image

Delicious relish or appetizer that can be served hot or cold! Serve with toasted crusty bread.

Provided by rocks_67

Categories Appetizers and Snacks Antipasto Recipes

Time 1h34m

Yield 16

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
salt to taste
¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ cups canned plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
12 green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon minced oregano
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley, or to taste

Steps:

Toss eggplant with salt and place in a colander set over a bowl. Let sit, about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in celery mixture, tomatoes, olives, capers, tomato paste, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until caponata is thickened, about 15 minutes.
Season caponata with vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 54.3 calories, Carbohydrate 4.9 g, Fat 3.9 g, Fiber 1.9 g, Protein 0.9 g, SaturatedFat 0.5 g, Sodium 297 mg, Sugar 2.2 g

CAPONATA (COLD EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) APPETIZER)

Caponata (Cold Eggplant (Aubergine) Appetizer) image

I searched the Caponata recipes on Zaar and did not find any with pine nuts and I think the pine nuts really make this Caponata an outstanding recipe. Though the recipe looks complicated it comes together fairly quickly and once all the flavors blend it is just great as a hot summer night dinner with crusty bread and perhaps a tomato salad.

Provided by axxo3846

Categories Spreads

Time 1h25m

Yield 10 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

1 lb eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 teaspoons coarse salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 large red bell peppers or 1 large green bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large yellow pepper, seeded, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/4 cup coarsely chopped celery
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (1 lb) can Italian plum tomato, drained and seeded
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons pignolis, I throw in a few extra or 2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon sugar
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons white vinegar
6 large green olives, pitted and sliced
1 fresh bay leaves or 1 dried bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup white raisins
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Steps:

Place eggplant cubes in a colander and sprinkle with salt, cover with a plate and drain for 30 minutes.
Saute peppers, onion and celery in 2 T of oil in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are soft, 8 to 12 minutes, Remove from skillet and set aside, add remaining oil to skillet.
Squeeze excess liquid from eggplant, saute in skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until light brown, 14 to 18 minutes, return peppers, onions and celery mixture to skillet and stir in all ingredients.
Cook for about 25 minutes, Remove from stove and let stand for about 15 minutes and then refrigerate.

EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) CAPONATA

Eggplant (Aubergine) Caponata image

Italian Style Eggplant Appetizer. Very versatile. It's equally good served warm or at room temperature with crusty Italian bread, as well as hot over pasta or chilled as a salad.

Provided by Steve P.

Categories Spreads

Time 45m

Yield 4-6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

olive oil
2 large eggplants or 4 small eggplants, small dice
1 large red pepper, small dice
1 medium green pepper, small dice
2 medium red onions, small dice
3 tablespoons garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons capers, divided (2 Tablespoons chopped, 2 Tablespoons whole)
6 anchovy fillets, minced (optional)
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup tomato puree
1 bunch basil, chiffonade (means finely chopped)
2 tablespoons oregano, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted green olives (usually come in a jar stuffed with pimentos)

Steps:

Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a large saute pan (as the eggplant will soak it up).
Brown the eggplant in the oil in small batches.
Set aside in a stainless steel bowl.
Note: the eggplant is usually cooked with the skin on it adds color to the dish, however if you find the skin to be particularly tough or stringy you can peel the eggplant and cook it skinned.
Heat more oil.
Sauté peppers until soft.
Add sautéed peppers to bowl with the eggplant.
Cook onions and garlic until onions are tender.
Add brown sugar and vinegar and cook 2 minutes more.
Add tomato puree and green olives and cook until you have a thick, brown sweet-and-sour sauce.
Pour sauce over eggplant and peppers and toss to coat.
Add capers, anchovies and herbs, and mix well.
Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve warm or at room temperature with slices of crusty Italian bread.
Also excellent served hot on top of pasta or chilled and served as a salad.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 348, Fat 6.1, SaturatedFat 0.9, Sodium 816.2, Carbohydrate 73.5, Fiber 14.2, Sugar 53.8, Protein 5.9

CAPONATA (EGGPLANT APPETIZER)

Caponata (Eggplant Appetizer) image

This is from Latona's Specialty Foods in New Jersey. It has a nice clean taste and is good served on sliced toasted baguette.

Provided by MARIA MAC

Categories Spreads

Time 55m

Yield 6 1/2 cups

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large celery, diced
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup tomatoes (crushed)
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup green olives (pitted and halved)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large eggplant (diced)

Steps:

In a 4 quart sauce pan heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat.
Add onion and celery cook covered 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add next 8 ingredients, heat to boil
Cover, simmer on low 20 minutes.
In a large non stick skillet heat 4 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add eggplant cook 10 minutes or until tender stirring often.
Stir tomato mixture into eggplant.
Serve on slices of toasted french bread.

EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) CAPONATA

Eggplant (Aubergine) Caponata image

Make and share this Eggplant (Aubergine) Caponata recipe from Food.com.

Provided by Gingerbear

Categories Vegetable

Time 1h35m

Yield 6-8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, unpeeled, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
6 tomatoes, ripe and chopped or 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green olives
3 minced garlic cloves
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 tablespoon capers, chopped

Steps:

Combine all ingredients in a large enameled or stainless steel pot.
Bring to a healthy simmer, stirring occasionally.
You can cook this over low heat uncovered for about an hour, or cover it and cook it over very low heat for several hours.
The slow stewing method blends the flavors very nicely, and the caponata is great reheated.
Serve with garlic bread or croistini.
If you decide to freeze this, it will stay for 2 months.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 210.8, Fat 14.2, SaturatedFat 2, Sodium 615.7, Carbohydrate 20.8, Fiber 6, Sugar 13.3, Protein 2.8

Tips:

Choose the right eggplant. Use a firm, ripe eggplant that is free of blemishes. Smaller eggplants tend to have fewer seeds and a sweeter flavor.
Cut the eggplant properly. Cut the eggplant into evenly sized pieces so that they cook evenly. If you are making caponata with the eggplant skin on, be sure to score the skin before frying to prevent it from curling.
Fry the eggplant in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan when frying the eggplant. This will prevent the eggplant from steaming and becoming soggy.
Don't overcook the eggplant. Cook the eggplant until it is tender but still has a slight bite to it. Overcooked eggplant will become mushy.
Use high-quality ingredients. The quality of your ingredients will greatly affect the flavor of your caponata. Use fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices.
Taste the caponata as you go. Adjust the seasonings to your liking. You may want to add more vinegar, sugar, or salt.

Conclusion:

Caponata is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed as an appetizer, side dish, or main course. It is a great way to use up leftover eggplant and other vegetables. Caponata can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It is also a great dish to take to potlucks and parties.