Sicilian Eggplant with Capers and Olives
Photography Aaron McLean.
A southern Italian dish of eggplant with agrodolce – a sweet and sour sauce. Finished with toasted pinenuts and aromatic basil it is best served at room temperature, never chilled.
INGREDIENTS
1 large oval purple eggplant
olive oil
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons roughly chopped black or green olives
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons pinenuts, toasted and roughly chopped
To serve
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Cut the eggplant into 1½ cm thick slices and place on a flat baking tray. Brush both sides with olive oil then sprinkle with the allspice and season well.
Roast for 25 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Roughly chop and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan and add the onion and garlic with a good pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 10 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook for 2 minutes then stir in the eggplant. Simmer for 5 minutes then taste and add a little more vinegar or sugar if needed. Cool then stir in the basil and transfer to a serving dish. Makes about 1½ cups
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.