19/05/2020

Eggplant Caponata Parmigiana

A merging of two Italian classics - Eggplant Parmigiana and Sicilian Caponata - to make an extra delicious vegetable bake.

Serves:

6-8

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Download Recipe PDF

Ingredients

750g eggplant, cut lengthwise into thin slices
olive oil, as needed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 large red or yellow capsicum
3 stalks celery and leaves
3 large ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup black pitted olives
1/4 cup capers
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup parsley leaves
250g mozzarella
2 slices stale crusty Italian bread
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat grill. Cut eggplant into 1cm slices, arrange on oven trays, brush with oil on both sides and season. Grill on both sides until golden. Meanwhile, crush garlic, slice onion, capsicum and celery. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large frypan and sauté onion, garlic, capsicum and celery over medium heat for 10 minutes until soft. Add diced tomatoes, olives, capers, water and balsamic vinegar and simmer a further 10 minutes to make caponata. Season to taste and stir in half the parsley. Slice mozzarella. Arrange two layers of eggplant, caponata and mozzarella in a lasagne dish. Cut bread into cubes and arrange on top, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes until golden. If bread cubes colour too quickly, cover with foil for remainder of cooking time. Serve sprinkled with remaining parsley.

Tips

This dish can be assembled up to 24 hours in advance, kept in the refrigerator, then baked when needed.
SERVE ON THE SIDE: ROCKET SALAD with SUN-DRIED TOMATO DRESSING Shake together 1/4 cup finely chopped sun dried tomatoes with 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar in a jar to make a dressing. Use to dress 120g rocket leaves and sprinkle with parsley, toasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan cheese.

New Recipes

Coriander Turkey Meatballs in Satay Sauce

Turkey mince makes great meatballs, especially when smothered in a peanut satay sauce.

Greek Custard Rolls (Galactobureko Rolls)

These beautiful little pastry rolls with a semolina custard filling are drenched in a sweet sticky honey syrup that is…

Smoked Paprika Chicken with Apple Mint Salad

This is so much more than a chicken salad, particularly if you cook and carve the chicken and serve the…

Share On:

Coriander Turkey Meatballs in Satay Sauce

Turkey mince makes great meatballs, especially when smothered in a peanut satay sauce.

Desserts ·

Greek Custard Rolls (Galactobureko Rolls)

These beautiful little pastry rolls with a semolina custard filling are drenched in a sweet sticky honey syrup that is so loved by the Greeks. This recipe was handed down to me by my girlfriend Kelly, so in our house,…

Main Courses ·

Smoked Paprika Chicken with Apple Mint Salad

This is so much more than a chicken salad, particularly if you cook and carve the chicken and serve the warm slices on top of the fresh salad mix.

Main Courses ·

Baked Sausage, Ricotta and Basil Penne

A tasty pasta bake that can be cooked in a flash.

Tuna, Caper and Tomato Shell Pasta

A quick tasty pasta made with store cupboard ingredients.

Marinara Mornay

Seafood marinara mix in a creamy bechamel is a luscious dish as an entree or main.

Main Courses ·

Chicken and Fennel Paella Verde

This paella blanca (although I do use a bit of saffron) is a fresh take on this Spanish classic and combines chicken, fennel, zucchini and asparagus with the zing of lemon.