Eggplant caponata

Last weekend, I decided I just had to finish up a jar of olives I had cured and saved for storage last fall. I could have easily finished them off on their own, but wanted to use them as inspiration, not main ingredient. So I pulled a jar of tomatoes off the shelf and found some beautiful eggplant at the farmers' market to make a delicious caponata.

Ingredients:

• 
  1 Japanese eggplant
  
• 
  1/4 C onion
  
• 
  1/4 C olives
  
• 
  4 cloves garlic
  
• 
  1/4 C basil
  
• 
  1/2 C tomatoes, canned with juice
  
• 
  3 T olive oil
  
• 
  1 T balsamic vinegar
  
• 
  salt and pepper, to taste
  

Instructions:

Step One

Slice the eggplant in half, lengthwise and roast in a 425ºF oven for about 45 minutes or until completely soft and starting to brown. Cut into half inch pieces.

Step Two

Chop up all the veggies and herbs.

Step Three

With 1 T of olive oil over medium high heat, saute the chopped onions. When translucent, add the garlic and stir for a minute. Add the rest of the vegetables, including the tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium low head for 20 minutes.

Step Four

Season with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the olive oil and the vinegar. Allow to marinate overnight. Serve on bread with some mozzarella.

Effort: Medium
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings