Stromboli Eggplant Caponata

This is a sweet and sour Caponata that is delicious on a toasted bruschetta. Italy is famous for this type of rustic cooking called cucina povera (cuisine of the poor) that has a history that goes back for thousands of years to the Romans, Greeks, Normans, Spaniards and Arabs. The basis of of this traditional cuisine is the abundance of fragrant herbs like oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic, basil, mint, olives and the ubiquitious capers that Italians love so much.

Caper bushes grow wild on the rugged Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily where they cling to the rocks and cliffs along the coast in the porous volcanic soil. The intensely flavoured flower buds of the caper bush are about the only food product that grows on this string of volcanic islands. Stromboli is the largest of the Aeolian islands, but largely uninhabited due to the near daily volcanic eruptions. The hot chili flakes give this Stromboli Caponato a bit of fire too, but you can reduce the amount, or eliminate it entirely if you don't like the heat. The capers are an essential component that add a wonderful dimension to this delicious caponata found on so many Italian tables. Some Aeolian capers are salt cured and need to be soaked in water for several minutes and rinsed. Others are packaged in a brine which is best rinsed off before incorporating.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed and put through a press
1 medium eggplant, diced in 1/2 inch cubes (to yield 4 cups)
1/4 cup red wine
1 teaspoon of hot chili flakes
1 tablespoon of currants
1/4 cup black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 sprig of finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 large tomatos, seeded, diced and crushed with your hands
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon of capers, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted

Directions:

Slice the eggplant into cubes or rectangular pieces about 1/2 inch thick, place in heavily salted water for thirty minutes, then strain and pat dry.

Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Wipe off the eggplant to remove as much of the salt and clinging juices as you can. Toss eggplant with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and spread on a cookie sheet covered with non-stick aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes until nicely browned, stirring occasionally.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the browned eggplant, the fresh rosemary, cinnamon, cocoa powder, tomatos, chili flakes, currants, vinegar and sugar. (Note: 1 cup of homemade chunky tomato sauce can be substituted for the fresh tomatos.) Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the drained capers and pine nuts. Set aside to cool slightly and serve with crusty fresh bread.

This can be made a day or two ahead of time which gives the flavors time to meld together.