Caponata With Basil And Pine Nuts Recipes

EASY CAPONATA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add celery and cook uncovered until softened, about 1 minute. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain.
• Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat; add onion and celery and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add eggplant, red bell peppers, and zucchini and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato puree, vinegar, and sugar. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add olives, raisins, pine nuts, and capers. Season with salt and pepper and cook until flavors are well combined, about 5 minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat; stir in chopped basil. Cool and serve at room temperature.

EGGPLANT CAPONATA PASTA WITH RICOTTA AND BASIL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the raisins, sugar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and let cook about 2 minutes, then cover and set aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high. Stir in half the eggplant to coat evenly in the oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned in spots, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. (Eggplant should brown and tenderize but still maintain its shape.) Heat another 1/4 cup oil, then add remaining eggplant; season and repeat.
• While the eggplant cooks, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta. (You might not use all the pasta water.)
• Add another 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the shallot, pine nuts, capers, garlic and red-pepper flakes, stirring frequently, until the shallot is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the eggplant, along with the sliced basil and vinegar.
• Strain the soaked raisins, discarding the soaking liquid, then add the raisins to the eggplant mixture and toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. The mixture should taste quite aggressively salty and tangy, but it will mellow when tossed with pasta and ricotta. (Eggplant mixture can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
• Add eggplant mixture, pasta and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to the pot. Toss to coat over medium heat until eggplant is warmed, adding extra pasta water if necessary. Divide among shallow bowls, top with ricotta and additional torn basil and serve immediately. Pass with additional olive oil for drizzling, if desired.

CLASSIC CAPONATA

Steps:

• Cut the eggplant into 3/4" cubes. Toss with 1 Tbsp. salt and mix together with your hands; place in a colander and let drain over a bowl for 30-40 minutes.
• Thinly slice the onion and brown in a pan with 1/4 cup oil over low heat, for around 10 minutes.
• Cut the tomatoes into wedges and remove the center section and seeds. Cut into strips. Slice the celery heart (the light, tender part in the center) and chop the leaves. Rinse the capers well under running water.
• Add the tomatoes and the celery to the pan with the onions and, after 5 minutes, add the olives, capers and pine nuts.
• Gently squeeze the eggplant, transfer to paper towels and dry well; heat extra-virgin olive oil (2" deep) in a shallow pan and fry the eggplant in small batches for 7-8 minutes or until golden. Remove with a skimmer and add to the pan with the onions.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add torn basil leaves, vinegar, 1 Tbsp. sugar and, if necessary, a pinch of salt; increase the heat and let vinegar evaporate, then remove from heat and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Ideally, prepare a day in advance.

BASIL MARINATED CHICKEN WITH CAPONATA

Steps:

• Place basil, oil, garlic and vinegar in a blender and blend until smooth. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish, add the marinade and turn to coat. Marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat grill. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
• Using side burners of grill. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add eggplant, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook until golden brown. Add celery, tomatoes, olives, capers, pine nuts and raisins and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in vinegar and sugar and cook for 10 minutes longer, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Serve at room temperature.
• Assemble:
• Place 1 sliced chicken breast in the middle of each flat bread. Top with mozzarella, caponata and spinach leaves, roll and serve.

CAPONATA WITH BASIL AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbl oil in large nonstuck skillet, over medium high heat. Add celery and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Using slotted sppon, transfer celery to large bowl. Heat 1 tbls oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and saute until tender, about three minutes. Using slotted sppon, transfer to same bowl with celery. Repeat separetly with eggplant and green bell pepper using 1 tbl oil for each batch, sauteing until tender and transferring each to bowl with other vegetables when done, about 3 minutes each. Cool vegetables. Heat 2 tbls oil in same skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and sguar, stir until sugar melts and liquid thicknes, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, olives and capers. Simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes. Add to sauteed vegetables, stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. Stir basi into caponata. Sprinkle iwth pine nuts. Serve caponeta cold or at room temperature.

CAPONATA

Steps:

• Pour the olive oil into a large heavybased saucepan or casserole, place over a medium heat and add the aubergines. Cook for a good 15-20 mins until they are soft. Scoop the aubergines out of the pan - you should be left with some olive oil. Add the shallots and cook for about 5 mins until they are soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook slowly, so they break down and turn to a soft mush, then add the aubergines back to the pan. Now put in the capers, raisins, celery and vinegar, season well and cover with a lid. Cook over a low heat for 40 mins, until all the vegetables are soft. Stir gently so it doesn't break up too much; the stew should smell sweet and sour.
• When the caponata is cooked, leave to cool slightly while you make the bruschetta. Heat a griddle pan, drizzle the bread with olive oil and griddle until toasted and lightly charred on both sides, then rub with a garlic clove and season. Serve the warm caponata scattered with the basil leaves and pine nuts, with bruschetta on the side.

ORECCHIETTE WITH CORN, BASIL, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Combine corn and 4 Tbsp. butter in a large bowl.
• Cook orecchiette in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid, and add to corn mixture. Stir vigorously and add pasta cooking liquid and butter as needed to fully coat. Stir in basil, pepper, and remaining 1 tsp. salt.
• Transfer pasta to a serving bowl or platter and top with pine nuts. Serve immediately.