Caponata Salad with Castelvetrano Olives, Crispy Capers, Pine Nuts & Agro Dolce Raisins

Being Sicilian, I naturally love the flavors of a traditional sweet and sour eggplant stew combined with tomatoes, onion, capers, olives, pine nuts and raisins. In this recipe, I wanted to take that idea, spruce it up a bit, refresh its appearance…and quite frankly, spend less time cooking.

This dish is a quintessential combination of Italian summer ingredients. This recipe treats each ingredient separately and with the utmost respect. Every component stands out more in the caponata salad this way. Shots of salty capers and olives bounce off the sweet and sour raisins, caramelized eggplant and blistered tomatoes from Hepworth Farms. The olive oil-toasted pine nuts add the crunchiness this dish needs to come together.

This meal takes three days of prep, but the prep work is quick and easy. Most steps in this recipe take less than 20 minutes.

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Day 1: Cook the Agro Dolce Raisins

Agro Dolce Raisins

Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Marinate Time: Overnight

Agro dolce translates to “sweet and sour” in Italian, so let’s run with that idea. Raisins are naturally sweet, so a little sour takes them to the next level. The recipe that follows is enough for the dish we are making, but you can multiply the ingredients if you want to use the raisins for many other dishes.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup golden raisins (substitute red raisins if needed)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Step by Step

1. Add all ingredients to a medium sauce pot
2. Bring to a boil
3. Once boiling, reduce to a medium simmer for 10 minutes until the raisins are plump and taste sweet and sour
4. Place the raisins and liquid in an airtight container and cool to room temperature
5. Once cooled slightly, store in the refrigerator until meal day

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Day 2: Blister the Marinated Tomatoes & Toast the Pine Nuts

Blistered Marinated Tomatoes

Prep Time: 10 to 15 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Marinate Time: Overnight

Ingredients

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes from your favorite local farmer, such as Hepworth Farm
• 2 cups high-quality extra virgin olive oil
• 3 torn basil leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• Flaky sea salt, to taste

Step by Step

1. Heat a large cast iron or heavy-bottom pan over medium high
2. Get the pan completely hot, otherwise the tomatoes will stew and not blister and char
3. Once hot, add the tomatoes into the dry pan, then blister the tomatoes by rolling them around
4. Once the tomato skins start to crack, turn off the heat
5. Immediately add the olive oil, basil and thyme sprigs and let them absorb the residual heat while imparting their flavor onto the pan
6. Let the ingredients cool down
7. Once cooled, season with flaky sea salt
8. Place into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until meal day, up to 2 weeks. Be sure the tomatoes are submerged in olive oil. The oil acts as an airtight seal for the tomatoes, extending their shelf life.

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Toasted Pine Nuts

Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 to 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Step by Step

1. In a medium heavy-bottom sauté pan, combine the pine nuts and olive oil
2. Bring to a simmer over low heat
3. Toast the pine nuts until they are golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes
4. Drain the pine nuts with a fine mesh strainer. Discard the olive oil or save for another use.
5. Cool the pine nuts on a plate lined with paper towel
6. Once cooled, place them into an airtight container until meal day

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Day 3: Caramelize the Eggplant, Char the Young Onions, Smash the Olives, Make Crispy Capers & Serve

Caramelized Eggplant

Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 to 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb. fairytale eggplant or Japanese Eggplant
• Olive oil, as needed
• Salt, to taste

Step by Step

1. Cut the fairytale eggplant in half. If you’re using Japanese eggplant, cut them into 3” sections, then cut each section in half lengthwise.
2. Set a large heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat
3. Slick the pan with a generous amount of olive oil
4. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the eggplant flesh side down
5. Sear the eggplant for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until browned and tender
6. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and season lightly with salt
7. Cool to room temperature
8. Set aside until dinner service

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Charred Spring Onion

Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 to 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. small spring onions, halved through their stems
• Olive oil, as needed
• Salt, to taste

Step by Step

1. Set a large heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat until hot
2. Swirl in enough olive oil to coat the entire pan
3. When the oil shimmers, add the spring onions in an even layer without crowding the pan
4. Sear undisturbed for 3 to 5 minutes, or until darkly browned and cooked through
5. Next, transfer them to a plate lined with paper towel
6. Set aside until dinner service

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Smashed Castelvetrano Olives

Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes | Marinate Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup castelvetrano olives
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (from the same lemon)
• 2 Calabrian chili peppers (substitute 1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes if needed)
• 1/2 cup high-quality olive oil
• Salt, to taste

Step by Step

1. Smash the olives with the palm of your hand to remove the pit
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. You’ve just made a lemon vinaigrette.
3. Toss the smashed olives in lemon vinaigrette
4. Let the olives marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature before service, and don’t be shy to sneak a little taste

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Crispy Capers

Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 to 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup capers, drained and patted dry
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Step by Step

1. Be sure the capers are completely dry
2. In a medium sauce pot, add the olive oil
3. Bring the olive oil to 350F degrees
4. Next, carefully add the capers and fry until crispy, about 2 minutes
5. Once crispy, scoop the capers out of the pot and drain on a plate lined with paper towel
6. Let cool completely, and then store in an airtight container until service. These will only stay crispy for one day, so it is best to do this within 24 hours of meal day.

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Assemble the Dish

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Rustic is the name of the game with this one. You want everything to look as if it just fell from the sky and isn’t fussed around with.

Step by Step

1. On a large platter, lay the eggplant caramelized side up
2. Arrange your spring onions all over the platter in a rustic way
3. Spoon the blistered tomatoes over the entire dish, being sure to get a good amount of the marinade from the blistered tomatoes on it. This acts as a vinaigrette for the caponata salad.
4. Spoon the olives all over the dish
5. Generously lather the dish in the leftover lemon vinaigrette from the olives
6. Next, sprinkle the raisins, toasted pine nuts and crispy capers on the dish randomly
7. Enjoy with your family and/or friends.