Aubergine Stew (Sicilian Caponata)

Name: Aubergine Stew (Sicilian Caponata)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 Large Aubergines /Eggplant (About 600g / 21 ounzes diced into 1 inch cubes.); 5 tbsp Olive oil; 1 Red Onion (diced); 1 Red Bell Pepper (Deseeded and cut into strips); 2 cloves Garlic (crushed); 3 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar; 800 g Tinned chopped tomatoes (or canned); 40 g Capers (drained and rinsed); 40 g Green Olives (drained and rinsed); 40 g Raisins (or Sultanas); 1 tbsp Sugar; 15g Fresh Parsley (leaves and stalks chopped); 1 dash Salt

A homemade Aubergine Stew or Eggplant Caponata is one of my favourite summer recipes. A traditional dish from Sicily, it's deliciously savoury, sweet and sour all at the same time thanks to the combination of olives, salty capers and sweet raisins. Packed with flavour and easy to make, this Sicilian stew can be served on its own or as a side to chicken or fish dishes.

Aubergine stew topped with pine nuts and fresh parsley next to fresh bread.

A Caponata is a traditional aubergine or eggplant-based dish from Sicily, an island off the coast of Italy. There are also similar Greek and Spanish versions. Like many traditional dishes, there's no definitive recipe.

Aubergines are easy to cook with and have a natural creamy texture. For a chunky pasta sauce with aubergine, try my Pasta Sauce with Mediterranean veg, or for a spicy aubergine recipe, you'll love my Aubergine and Chickpea Curry.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Variations
Equipment
How to Serve
Storage
Top tip
Sustainability
FAQ
Related
Pairing
📖 Recipe
Reviews

Ingredients

These are typical ingredients for an Aubergine Stew.

Aubergine /Eggplant - look for aubergines with a shiny dark skin
Red onion - this adds a little sweetness
Capers - usually come pickled in a jar. They are small pickled flower buds that have a distinctive salty taste.
Red wine vinegar - this helps balance he flavours.
Green olives - these are a traditional ingredient. Look for pitted (stone removed).
Brown sugar - I've used sugar in this recipe to keep it suitable for vegans. You can use the same quantity of honey.
Raisins or Sultanas - these add a lovely sweetness and are traditional ingredients in an Aubergine Stew or Caponata. They show the Arab and Middle Eastern influence in Sicily.
Tinned or Canned tomatoes - I've used tinned tomatoes in this recipe to ensure the right consistency of the sauce. If you are lucky enough to have lovely juicy fresh tomatoes, feel free to use these instead.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

For the recipe, I find that roasting the aubergines works best. It uses less oil, is far less greasy and gives the aubergines a nice caramelized texture.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. Place the diced aubergine in a baking tray or sheet pan. Drizzle over around two-thirds of the olive oil and stir well so the cubes are well coated. Roast on the middle shelf for 20 - 25 minutes.

red pepper red onion and crushed garlic in pan.

At the same time, fry the onion and pepper in the remaining olive oil for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further 1 minute.

red wine vinegar added to red pepper red onion and garlic in pan.

Add the red wine vinegar and keep stirring until the vinegar has evaporated. This should take around one minute.

green olives raisins capers sugar and parsley added to pan.

Add the tinned or canned tomatoes, capers, olives, raisins, sugar, most of the parsley, and season with a dash of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.

tomatoes green olives capers red onion and red pepper simmering in pan.

Stir in the roasted aubergine and simmer for a further 2 - 3 minutes.

aubergine green olives capers and tomatoes simmering in pan.

Ideally, let it cool then serve with the remaining parsley and top with pine nuts or almond flakes (optional).

Hint: Caponata is one of those recipes that tastes better the next day, once the flavours have had time to infuse. Store it in the fridge overnight. For the best flavours serve it at room temperature or just warmed, but not hot.

Variations

As there is no definitive Caponata or Aubergine Stew recipe, there are a few common changes you can make.

Chickpeas - some people like to add chickpeas. This makes the dish go further and is budget-friendly. Use hydrated chickpeas in water and drain and rinse the chickpeas before adding to the stew.
Greek - some versions of this dish come from Greece. You can crumble some feta cheese over the top and use fresh mint for a more authentic Greek version.
Herbs - I've made this version with fresh parsley, but you could also use fresh basil or fresh mint according to your personal preference.
Spicy - some people like to add some chilli flakes to their Caponata. Add around 1 teaspoon with the onion and garlic.

Equipment

A large baking tray
Large frying pan or stove top casserole dish.

How to Serve

An Aubergine stew is very versatile and can be served warm or cold. However, many people think it is best served at room temperature or barely warm.

Main course - serve it with couscous, rice, pasta, or crusty bread.

Side dish - it goes well with fish or chicken. Try it with my Pan Fried Plaice Fillets or Grilled Haddock.

Toppings - top it with fresh herbs such as parsley, basil or fresh mint. Add a sprinkle of pine nuts or flaked almonds. The different herbs will bring distinctive different flavours. Parsley gives a peppery flavour, basil a more aniseed flavour and mint a fresh sweetness.

Appetizer - You can also serve it with croutons or bruschetta. Toast some fresh crusty bread, brush with a little olive oil, and top with the Caponata.

Green Tip! This is a great way to use up stale bread. Cut the bread into cubes, drizzle with a little olive oil, and toast on a tray. Stir into the Sicilian Stew.

Storage

Aubergine stew can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool first then transfer to a suitable container. Leave enough room for the caponata to expand once frozen.

Top tip

Make this a day in advance. The flavours will infuse and it will taste even better!

Sustainability

This is a great Summer recipe for using vegetables in season. Try to buy them loose where possible to reduce plastic. Take a tip from the Italians and turn stale bread into croutons and stir them in to avoid food waste.

FAQ

Do you need to salt Aubergines before cooking them?

The need to salt aubergines before cooking them depends on what you want to achieve. Salting can help draw some of the moisture out and make them more tender. Aubergines also soak up a lot of oil when being pan-fried and salting helps to reduce this. In the past Aubergine varieties have been slightly bitter and were salted to reduce the bitterness. However, Aubergines grown today are not bitter so don't need salting for this reason. Many recipes nowadays don't bother with salting. If they do, or if you feel the need to do this, just cover with salt for around 30 minutes.

Do Aubergines need peeling before cooking?

No, you can leave the skins on aubergines. Just wash them first. Trim the leaves and stalk off the top and trim the bottom.

Looking for other Aubergine (Eggplant) recipes or vegan stews? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Aubergine Stew:

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