Playing Sicily on a Jersey porch.
I grew up on what is called eggplant caviar, a rare delicacy available to a lucky few only a couple of months in a year after a lengthy wait in a grocery store line and a laborious process. The value and significance of the said caviar — way above that of Beluga black or red — was immortalized in a movie about Ivan the Terrible and the Time Machine. On the YouTube, there’s a clip with English subtitles — just ask.
Later, I learned eggplant caviar had other names: adjapsandali, caponata, ratatouille, imam bayildi, zaalouk…
On our trip to Sicily, we ordered it in every restaurant. All different — all good.
At home, I wanted to make my own and combine the most memorable elements from the ones we tried. It worked.
Sweet, sour, savory, crunchy, chunky, smooth, oily but not too much, bold but mild, filling but not overwhelming — that was it. I’d say this is my favorite version. Saving it for myself.
The recipe in Clifford Wright’s Cucina Paradiso was my starting point. Then, I improvised.
WHAT WENT IN
— vegetable oil to deep fry;
— good olive oil to saute;
— 4 large globe eggplants cut 3/4”, salted and sweated for 2 hours, blotted dry;
— 8 celery stalks — tender center ones, cut 3/4” chunks;
— 2 large onions, sliced;
— 4 garlic cloves, minced;
— 1/4 cup double concentrated tomato paste mixed with the same amount of water;
— 6 plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded, chopped;
— 1 cup castelvetrano olives, pitted, quartered;
— 4 Tbsp capers, rinsed;
— 1/2 cup raisins;
— 1 Tbsp sugar;
— 6 Tbsp red wine vinegar;
— 2 tsp dried oregano;
— 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder.
THE PROCESS
1. Deep fry the eggplant and celery in batches in vegetable oil at 350°F and set on paper towels to absorb extra oil. Wok is best for this.
2. In a large braising pan, sauté onions on medium high until deep brown.
3. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients besides cocoa powder — one at at time — mixing in carefully but thoroughly. Cook for about 15 minutes
5. Gently fold in eggplants and celery. Cook for another 10 minutes.
6. Add cocoa powder. Mix in and off heat.
