
Serves 4.
40 minutes
Vegan.
Ingredients:
600 grams aubergines
2 celery stalks finely chopped
300grams tomato passata
1 medium onion finely chopped
fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons vinegar
100 grams olives stoned and halved
2 tablespoon capers
200 grams ricotta or feta cheese
2 hard boiled eggs
oil for frying
extra virgin oil
salt & pepper
Directions:
Heat 3 table spoons of olive oil in a pan, fry the onion, add the tomato passata and the sugar and cook for 5 minutes, add capers, olives and vinegar, cook for 10 minutes more and add the basil leaves.
Wash the aubergines, cut into 2cms cubes, soak in salted water for 1 hour, rinse, put to dry and fry in hot vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes until golden.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Fry the celery in the same oil and drain as well.
Add fried vegetables to the tomato sauce; simmer for 10 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
Let the caponata cool completely, divide into 4 molds, press down with the back of the spoon.
Unmold on to serving plates and serve with hard boiled eggs and pieces of ricotta or feta cheese.
The caponata can be prepared 2 days ahead as it improves in flavour. Leave covered in the fridge