Vegetable Caponata with Incredible Cocotte, the quintessential pot for healthy and sustainable cooking, because cooking at home is healthy and sustainable. Caponata is a typical side dish of traditional Sicilian cuisine, whether it’s made solely with eggplants or with mixed vegetables like bell peppers and zucchini. This dish is prepared in a sweet and sour way or simply in a pan with all the stewed vegetables. Recently, I bought a kitchen tool that dices all vegetables (in two sizes, if desired). With this, I shortened the preparation time of the caponata. In this recipe, the star is definitely basil, fresh and in season, which along with bell peppers and eggplants enhances the fragrances and flavors of summer.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Autumn
- Energy 131.49 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 11.40 (g) of which sugars 7.33 (g)
- Proteins 3.10 (g)
- Fat 9.04 (g) of which saturated 1.27 (g)of which unsaturated 0.20 (g)
- Fibers 4.76 (g)
- Sodium 394.23 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 190 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for preparing vegetable caponata
- 3 bell peppers
- 2 eggplants
- 3 zucchini
- 1 red onion
- 12 oz tomatoes
- 6 sprigs basil
- 1 clove garlic
- 3/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 fresh chili pepper
Necessary tools for preparing caponata
- Pot
- Vegetable Slicer
- Spatula
- Wooden Spoon
Steps to prepare the vegetable caponata
I prepare this vegetable caponata side dish with the Incredible Cocotte whenever we gather as a family with children and grandchildren. There are so many of us, and then I prepare the to-go containers. I brown a clove of garlic in its skin, which I will then remove, to flavor the oil.
After washing the bell peppers, I use the newly purchased vegetable slicer to cut them into large pieces in less than five minutes.
I put them in the pot and stir a couple of times after salting.
In ten minutes and without a lid, stirring them a couple of times, they are ready.
I add a generous handful of basil when cooking is finished.
Meanwhile, I also prepare the eggplants, peeled and cut into pieces. I remove the bell peppers from the Cocotte.
A drizzle of oil and, in the same pot, I put the diced eggplants.
I stew the eggplants for ten minutes, stirring them often, and in the meantime, I add the salt with fresh basil.
Once again, I remove the cooked eggplants from the Cocotte and place them next to the cooked bell peppers in a bowl.
I don’t peel the zucchini, they are so tender that I cut them directly into pieces after washing them.
For the zucchini, just five minutes of cooking is enough, no more if you want crunchy vegetables.
I also remove the zucchini after five minutes.
Already like this, they would be ready to enjoy, but now comes the final part, the beauty of the recipe.
Still using my vegetable slicer, but with the small blades because I want a fine chop, I prepare the onions and brown them in the Cocotte without needing to wash it. With a spatula, it cleans up in a moment.
I add the red tomatoes, also cut into small pieces.
I adjust the seasoning and add inevitable basil leaves.
Just ten minutes of cooking
and our fresh and flavorful tomato is cooked. If you like, you can also add some hot chili pepper.
We flip the three stewed vegetables into the cooked tomato.
We cover and cook for just 5 minutes, just enough time for all the vegetables to mix well together.
Basil and raw extra virgin olive oil.
The vegetable caponata with Incredible Cocotte is ready to enjoy.
Advice
I’d like to give you a small tip on eggplants: how to prepare eggplants in oil.
https://blog.giallozafferano.it/vaipinacucina/melanzane-sottolio/
https://blog.giallozafferano.it/vaipinacucina/melanzane-sottolio/
https://blog.giallozafferano.it/vaipinacucina/melanzane-sottolio/
https://blog.giallozafferano.it/vaipinacucina/melanzane-sottolio/
FAQ
How long does vegetable caponata last?
Vegetable caponata lasts for six days in the refrigerator. Make sure not to reheat it and then store it again. Usually, if you want to eat it hot, you take out an amount, heat it, and consume it without putting it back in the fridge.
