Sicilian eggplant caponata is one of the best ways to utilize eggplant. Caponata is a salty, sweet and sour appetizer, bursting with flavor. It’s perfect by itself, on top of toasted bread or crackers, or used as a topping for sandwiches.

Serves 6

sipandfeast.com

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds eggplant
1 cup celery
1 cup red onion
1 cup pitted green olives
¼ cup pignoli nuts
¼ cup parsley
⅛ cup capers
¼ cup raisins
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425F and begin by cutting 2 pounds of eggplant into approximately 1″ cubes.

Place all the cut eggplant into a large glass bowl and toss with a ½ cup of olive oil, a tsp of kosher salt and a ½ tsp of black pepper. Use enough oil to coat all the pieces.

On a large baking sheet (line it with parchment paper to avoid sticking) spread out the eggplant. Keep the pieces from touching and if necessary use 2 sheet pans. Place the eggplant on the middle oven rack and roast for 25-30 minutes.

While the eggplant is roasting begin cutting 1 cup of celery into smallish pieces like shown.

Cut 1 cup of onion into half-moon strips. You can cut the onion and celery any way you want! Some people like a chunkier caponata while others prefer a smoother one.

Toast a ¼ cup of pignoli (pine) nuts in a separate pan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or so. Be careful, they burn easily. When finished toasting, remove the nuts and set them aside.

In a large pan saute the onion and celery for a few minutes in a ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat. Again this is a preference/textural thing. If you like crunchy vegetables in your caponata only saute them for a minute or so.

Add in one 6-ounce can of tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes longer, spreading the paste all around the pan.

After 25-30 minutes the eggplant will be nicely roasted as shown. Use a fork and make sure they are soft on the inside and fully cooked. If not, another 5 minutes in the oven is fine.

To the pan add 1 cup of pitted good quality green olives, an ⅛ cup of rinsed capers, and a ¼ cup of raisins. Also, add 2 Tbsp of sugar and a ¼ cup of red wine vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally to avoid sticking.

Add in the eggplant and pine nuts and cook for 3 more minutes to ensure the caponata is well mixed. Be careful while mixing in the eggplant to avoid mashing it too much. A gentle stir with a wooden spoon is all that’s required.

Finally, add a ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley, give it one more stir, and a taste test. Adjust salt, pepper, and sugar if necessary. If satisfied, let it cool, then place it in a container and refrigerate.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

Zucchini – Add some zucchini to this caponata for a nice twist. Pan roast 2 cups of the same size pieces as the eggplant for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Peppers – Use 2 large bell peppers, cut up into bite-size chunks for added texture and flavor.

Carrots – Roast 1 cup of carrots with the eggplant for added flavor or just sear them in the pan with the onions and celery to introduce a crunchy texture.

Anchovies – It wouldn’t be Sicilian cooking without talking about this ingredient. Saute 3-4 chopped anchovies until they melt with the celery and onion.

Herbs – Mint and basil are excellent additions!

Burnt, crispy, and spicy are the three essentials spaghetti all’assassina, or “killer’s spaghetti,” a must-eat in Bari, a city in Puglia on the Adriatic Sea. The name assassina, which means killer, refers not to the felony, but rather the risottatura cooking technique that cooks pasta like risotto. Instead of boiling the spaghetti, it’s cooked directly in the pan by consistently adding water to it each time the pasta absorbs it.

Serves 4

lacucinaitaliana.com

INGREDIENTS
12 oz. vermicelli or spaghetti
2 cups tomato purée
tomato paste
oil
garlic
sugar
chili pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare a broth made with water, 1½ cups purée, and plenty of tomato paste and salt, and bring to a boil. According to the academy, the sauce “must be bright red and tasty, but still a broth.”

In the iron frying pan, add ½ cup oil, 3 garlic cloves (core removed), and chili pepper to taste. Dell’Erba suggests keeping 2 whole and chopping 1. Cook the garlic over a high flame until golden then pour in around ½ cup tomato purée. To temper the acidity from the tomatoes, you can add 1 tsp. sugar.

Spread the purée over the whole pan with a wooden spoon and let it reduce slightly. At this point put the uncooked spaghetti in the pan, distributing them in such a way that the pasta collects the sauce.

“Now the chef starts to take a step back,” explains Dell’Erba. “You don’t have to be in a hurry to turn everything, you have to wait for some of the spaghetti to start the shining process, not burning, but caramelizing”.

Stir spaghetti as it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan a little, swapping the top layer of noodles for those already glossy from having been stuck to the bottom.

At this point add 2 medium-sized ladles of the tomato “broth.” The liquid will sizzle and start to simmer. Let it reduce without turning the spaghetti and “listen” for the boiling point. When you hear it “sizzle” again (the noise changes sharply), keep your distance and wait for the “burning” process to continue (this will take 30 seconds to 1 one minute).

Repeat, stirring to remove the burnt spaghetti from the bottom of the pan while adding more tomato liquid. Each addition must correspond to the time needed for it to sizzle and then repeat by soaking the pasta with the sauce. The stiff spaghetti will start to bend, and the whole process takes about 8-9 minutes. – the assassina “must suffer.”

The result is a hard spaghetti with a different consistency than boiled spaghetti, but only the burnt ones “crunch.” You need to taste it to decide the level of cooking and burning, and serve it when you think it’s ready – bring the pan directly to the table.

Burnt Spring Onion Risotto is a rich and creamy vegetarian dish that is brightened and cut with fiery sweetness and smoky flavors, thanks to charred spring onions and a fresh tomato salsa.

Serves 4

deliciousmagazine.co.uk

INGREDIENTS
Vegetable oil to fry
20g unsalted butter
5 garlic cloves
2 bunches spring onions
300g risotto rice
200ml white wine
700ml vegetable stock, warmed
100g cherry tomatoes
½ red chilli
½ red onion, separated into petals (see tips)
100g mascarpone
Juice ¼ lime
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp red wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a dash of oil and the butter in a medium saucepan. Finely slice 4 of the garlic cloves (leave the remaining one unpeeled) and half the spring onions. Add both to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add the risotto rice to the pan, stir for 1 minute, then pour in the wine and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated/been absorbed by the rice. Add a ladle of warm stock, letting the rice absorb the stock before adding another and stirring regularly throughout.

Meanwhile, put a large frying pan over a high heat and add the second bunch of spring onions (halved to fit in the pan if needed) with a tiny drizzle of oil. Leave to fry undisturbed until charred black on one side. Turn them over and char on the other side, then set aside to cool. Add the cherry tomatoes, chilli, remaining unpeeled garlic clove and onion petals to the pan, then cook until blackened all over.

Roughly chop the charred spring onions and put in a blender or food processor with the mascarpone. Whizz until combined and quite smooth. Once the risotto is cooked, season with salt, pepper and the lime juice, then gently stir in the mascarpone. Put a lid on the pan and leave to sit for 5 minutes.

Peel the charred garlic clove, then whizz it up with the charred tomatoes, red onion petals, sugar and vinegar. Divide the risotto among bowls, adding a dollop of the smoky tomato salsa on top.

Note:
– To separate an onion into petals, you’ll need your half onion to be halved through the root. You then chop off the tip, peel the onion and separate the petal-like layers.

Tiger Pound Cake uses sour cream to make the cake moist. Use ice cream scoops to plop the chocolate batter on the orange batter as a swirling mechanism.

Serves 10

patijinich.com

INGREDIENTS
2 cups unsalted butter plus more to grease a 10 x 3.5 inch bundt pan
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour plus more to dust the bundt pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch kosher or coarse sea salt
8 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a bundt pan and coat with flour, dusting off any excess flour.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter using the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until soft and creamy, anywhere from 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating until fluffy and puffy.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the eggs with vanilla and sour cream.

Reduce the mixer speed to low, and take turns adding flour mixture and egg mixture. Continue beating until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula if need be. Transfer 1/3 the dough to another bowl, leaving the remaining 2/3 of the dough in the mixer.

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the hot water and cocoa. With a rubber spatula, fold the cocoa mixture into the 1/3 of the batter set aside in an extra bowl until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.

To the batter left in the mixer, add the orange zest, almond extract and orange juice, and beat until completely mixed.

With two ice cream scoops or measuring cups, alternate dropping the chocolate batter and the orange-almond batter into the bundt pan. When all the batter is in the pan, run a butter knife or a skewer through it to create the marbled look.

Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes, until springy to the touch, lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out moist, but not wet. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool.

Once cool, run a butter knife around the cake and invert onto a platter. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve.