This caponata uses a technique called a "cold fry." Instead of frying the vegetables in preheated, hot oil, you combine the vegetables and room temperature oil in a pot and heat them up together. The benefit of this method is that you use less oil than you would normally use when you "hot fry" and there is very little splatter because the food and oil are always at the same temperature. And, like "hot frying," you still get a golden crispy exterior and soft, creamy interior but with no mess.
Recipe information
Yield
6 Servings
Ingredients
2
2
1
4
¼
¼
1
2
2
¼
1
½
3
¼
Preparation
Step 1
Toss eggplants with 2 Tbsp. salt in a colander set over a bowl; chill 3–10 hours.
Step 2
Gather up eggplants in a kitchen towel; squeeze out excess liquid. Combine eggplants, fennel, and room temperature vegetable oil in a large heavy pot set over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplants are golden brown and fennel is soft, 20–25 minutes. Transfer vegetables to paper towels to drain; let cool slightly.
Step 3
Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, tossing often, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Step 4
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook onion, chiles, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 6–8 minutes. Stir in paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, vinegar, and sugar; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add nuts, cranberries, and eggplant mixture. Toss until heated through and glazed; season with salt. Let cool; serve with bread.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Reviews (63)
Back to TopA lot of the reviews are ragging on this one, but I actually love it and have made it multiple times. Obviously, it's not traditional or "real" caponata, but I think it's damn good. I just ignored the oil measurements and sautéed the eggplant rather than deep frying it. (I only used a couple tablespoons. I almost wonder if the measurement in the recipe was some kind of clerical error or typo, because 4 cups of oil seems crazy.) I'm usually not the biggest fan of fennel, but I love the fennel in this. I think the Fresno chili is important, too -- it's mild but distinct and almost savory/rich somehow. I wouldn't skip the extra searching to find it, it adds a lot. But anyway, I actually love this dish, and so does my family when I make it for them. It's sweet, salty, acidic, and rich at the same time, funky and delicious. Love the different textures, too -- The slight crunchiness of the fennel, the softness of the eggplant, the pleasant stringiness of the red onion, the little bursts of richness from the pine nuts. I'm a fan. Just use less oil.
Lydia
St. Paul, MN
8/26/2023
Read the recipe. Who was the author? Not a Bon Ap name I'm familiar with. Did anyone at Bon Ap test this? FOUR cups of oil? No celery? Dried sweetened cranberries vs. golden raisins? No olives? 3 TABLESOONS of sugar? Fresno chiles? No capers? This recipe is a joke. Like some Internet blogger entered it into a "how to use dried cranberries" contest.. No Sicilian would ever.make this. The 3 essential ngredients in addition to the (peeled, unsalted) eggplant: 1) celery, 2) chopped black wrinkled Siclian olives, 3) capers. And for a bit of "local color" a) fennel seeds added to "bloom" w/the garlic and onion, then b) strips of ornage rind, added w/the tomatoes during the simmer.
Lucida (NY & Boston)
NY-Bos
7/9/2022
I didn’t mind the “cold frying” method, but my eggplant never got crispy as the intro said it would. Maybe I didn’t squeeze enough liquid out, but I let it chill for over 5 hours. Overall, the flavors feel weird and disjointed. Wouldn’t make again.
Abby
Atlanta
11/28/2021
4 cups of vegetable oil to cook eggplant? This is crazy. Recipes says uses less oil than traditional … Also you salt eggplant with 2tbs to draw out water but you leave it on - yes some will wash off in the 3 hours and also with pressing in a tea towel but really, it should be wiped down.
Ann
Maine
8/23/2021
Why would you put a head of fennel in this? Don't put fennel in this. Source: I put fennel in this and it was not tasty
Anonymous
Indiana
10/16/2019