Eggplant Caponata

Eggplant Caponata over Cod with Parsley, because I was feeling fancy 

Growing up, one of my favorite restaurants was the Brasserie in Bennington, Vermont. My mother would often take me there for lunches in the summer, and we would both bring books and read while we ate. Really, the books were a cover for the fact that my mother was eavesdropping on conversations at the tables around her. Mom, who was famous for not recognizing she was talking to Woody Allen, Larry Bird, or Chita Rivera, could recognize most authors by voice alone. The Brasserie, being close to Bennington College, was a frequent lunch spot for visiting authors to the college. "Shhhh, I'm trying to listen to John Updike," she would say if I interrupted her eavesdropping.

The Brasserie was my introduction to simple, elegant food. I learned to cook at a young age because my parents both often worked late. By seven, I could make a boxed cake on my own or simple dishes that my mother had taught me to cook, which mostly relied on packaged ingredients that she had learned growing up in Kansas: Pork chops with creamed mushroom and celery soup poured over the top, or chicken baked with apricot jam and Red Russian dressing. As the 80s went on, we both became better cooks, using fresher ingredients! Dad was actually the best cook of the three of us but he worked long hours, so he wasn't in the kitchen as much. He made a lot of roasts, and did a terrific Wiener Schnitzel. But he's probably most famous for his English Muffin Dumplings, with raspberry jam and walnut topping...which is not a recipe for this blog!

Most weekends we ate at the Brasserie at least once. The restaurant was known for simple French and Mediterranean food. Favorite dishes included artichoke salad, a potter's lunch (a fresh roll with ham, tomato, grilled onions and gruyere), eggplant caponata, mozzarella loaf (which involved cheese and anchovy butter melting inside the bread), carrot soup, lentil soup, baked brie with apples, hazelnuts and freshly baked bread, and an apple galette. It's been closed for more than a dozen years and I still miss it. I haven't found a restaurant that is as consistently satisfying anywhere. Of course, the good tastes are mingled with the memories of happy times with my parents, especially of long bookish summera with my mother. Sometimes I envision an alternate life where I am running the Brasserie. 

The other day I had a craving for the Brasserie's caponata. Odd because I dislike eggplant and have a mild eggplant allergy. But nothing else would satisfy me. All the recipes I found for caponata involved sugar. I decided to replace it with finely chopped carrot and additional raisins. I can't imagine adding sugar to it now. It was such a success that I made it again the next week, doubling the recipe, which is why in the pictures my pan is overflowing! I ate it alone as a salad and over chicken, fish and eggs. You could serve it as a pasta sauce or with quinoa if you eat those things. Or with a quiche. It's a very satisfying dish for both vegans and paleo eaters. 

Eggplant Caponata

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 onion, chopped 

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 large eggplant cut into 1 inch pieces

1 red pepper cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1  can, 14 1/2 ounces, diced tomatoes

4 tablespoons raisins (black or golden)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon drained capers

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts 

Heat 1/8 cup of the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add carrot and saute for two minutes. Add celery and saute for two minutes. All onion and garlic, and saute for three minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining oil. Add eggplant and saute for two minutes. Add red peppers and saute for two minutes, stirring frequently. Add oregano, and salt and pepper to taste, erring on the side of undersalted because capers will be salty when added later. Add red pepper. Add tomatoes, raisins and vinegar. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caponata has thickened. Add capers and pine nuts. Taste for salt and pepper again. 

Makes enough for a side dish for 8 people. Leftovers will last for a week in the fridge. 

Before I added the pine nuts and capers because there was no room in the pan for my doubled recipe. Maybe I won't be so greedy next time.