Caponata

Caponata is a classic Sicilian veggie antipasto. I’m sure Italians are particular about the ingredients used but I think you can put anything you want/ have in this dish. The most important components are the sweet and sour sauce, eggplant, and olives/capers.

Before I get into the details of the dish, I want to note that I’m changing my recipe presentation somewhat. This might happen from time to time as I develop my recipe writing style. I want to organize my recipes so they are most efficient in getting you organized and ready to cook.

You’ll notice a new term in my recipes, mise en place. Mise en place refers to all the prepped ingredients that are ready for cooking. It’s an organized way of cooking and it makes things easier. The first step of the recipe is to prepare the mise en place.  

The Finished Product:

Mise en place:

1 eggplant, medium dice

1 small red onion, small dice

1 red or yellow bell pepper, large dice

1 celery stalk, medium dice

Red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon capers, drained

red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons

sugar, 1 teaspoon

1 tomato, medium dice

1/4 cup black olives, roughly chopped

Basil, torn¹

Parsley, chopped¹

Extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

Salt & pepper

¹ Since these herbs won’t be added until the end of the dish, wait to prep them until closer to use.

Cook:

In a large, deep skillet, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom and sauté the eggplant until it is browned all over. Don’t forget to season during this step. Remove the eggplant from the oil, set aside, and add new oil to the skillet, if needed. Add the onion, pepper, and celery and cook over medium heat until the veggies begin to color along the edges, 9-11 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, capers, salt and pepper. Next add the vinegar and sugar and reduce. You can add a little water to help dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, taste it. How’s it taste to you? Do you want more acid, more sweetness? Adjust according to your preference.

If you want to cook well you have to taste along the way. If the dish doesn’t taste good as you are preparing it, chances are the finished product won’t taste good either. So sample and adjust as necessary.

Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Add back the cooked eggplant, olives, basil, and parsley. Taste, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Cook 5 more minutes to marry the flavors. Add the toasted pine nuts² and serve.  

² I recommend toasting them in a dry skillet for a few minutes over medium heat.

Enjoy Avital 

Antipasto II: Seafood

I'm talking raw today baby. I love raw food, especially raw seafood. Crudo, tartara, carpaccio, I feed right into that goodness. Those are some Italian terms which mostly describe the cut of the fish or meat. Crudo is a semi free form cut similar to a suhimi cut. Tartara are small cubes while carpacio is a very thin slice, I'm talking paper thin. 

The two dishes I am featuring today are tuna tartar and oysters and clams on the half shell.

Tuna tartar with celery, capers, tomatoes, and red onion. 

 When making tartar consider these six elements to create a composed and balanced dish: 

1. Fat

2. Acid

3. Salt

4. Texture

5. Color

6. Spice

Remember that a lot of fish are fatty naturally so be mindful of how much fat you use and what kind. Consider the flavor and texture of the fat. I used lemon infused extra virgin olive oil in mine. It's bright but subtle and adds a healthy shiny coat.  A good tartar has a balanced level of acidity and should not be overpowering. Acid will also cook the fish so you want to add a small amount and add it at the very end. Remember, tartar is not ceviche. With texture, consider the size of your fish and the size of your veggies. I like a contrast between the two so I do a medium dice on the tuna and a fine dice on the veg.

When you break a dish down to its elements you can see how easy it is to be creative and have fun with it!

Oysters and clams on the half shell.

I'll post a video on how to shuck oysters at a later date but this is the finished product. I served it with a supreme of lemon, extra virgin, cracked black pepper, and the oyster and clam liquor. Do not loose the liquor inside the shell, that's your golden ticket.

The less you process these dishes the better. They are meant to be eaten raw so the essence of each ingredient can be appreciated. Full flavor, full nutrition, that's what I'm about.