INGREDIENTS
½ eggplant, peeled and medium diced
Kosher salt, to taste
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup small-diced celery
¼ cup small-diced onion
½ cup passata*
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped capers
2 Tbsp. pitted and chopped green olives
½ Tbsp. sugar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
PREPARATION
• In a large mixing bowl, toss the eggplant with salt and let rest 30 minutes. Squeeze the eggplant to remove excess liquid.
• Add the oil to a Dutch oven and preheat over high heat. Add the eggplant and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and onions and cook 2 minutes. Add the passata, vinegar, capers, olives, sugar and black pepper and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool.
• Serve at room temperature on garlic-rubbed toast or bread.
* Passata is a strained tomato puree. Mutti passata is available at John Viviano & Sons Grocers, shopviviano.com.
This article appears in April 2018.