Caponata

Thanks to gorgeous, incredible Sophia of Burp and Slurp (who comes up with the most ingenious culinary delights, and always awes me with her wise and witty insights in the most beautiful prose...) I recently learned of an exciting new blog event - Friday Firsts, created by Christina of Dinner at Christina's! One of the most delightful, comforting aspects of everyday life is there is never a shortage of tiny, magical new experiences to be found in the most unsuspecting corners - a new tint of color in the flowerbed, a new unbelievable height for the spruce trees in the back-yard, the first taste of a new cheese, sharp and creamy on the tongue, or perhaps a novel way of dressing one's reliable, staple whole wheat pasta.

For Zach, such a first occurred last year when he discovered his passion for capers. So great is his fondness for this small pickled flower that I should perhaps feel some pangs of jealousy, but, having been fortunate enough to witness his first taste of a caper - and possessing a certain fondness for capers myself, both of the culinary and the adventurous kind - I instead find myself enchanted by his enthusiasm. In fact, I even found myself rather chagrined that I had somehow overlooked introducing Zach to capers sooner... Regardless, though, the caper discovery was made at last, at a small pizzeria in downtown Atlanta. While the restaurant is sadly no longer in existence, the precise moment when Zach and capers crossed paths remains fixed in my memory - we had ordered the special of the evening, a glorious brick-oven baked pizza creation topped with eggplant, red peppers, and capers. Zach took one bite, gazed about him in wonder, and asked "What is on this pizza? I've never tasted it before, and it's the best thing ever..."

I delicately raised a single green sphere aloft - "It's a caper..."

Thus, while Zach has had many a caper since that fateful day (purely in the culinary sense this time, as Zach isn't exactly given to dancing ballet on the front lawn), the "Foodie First" we experienced this week was caponata! Whenever Zach adds something to his list of favorite foods I get very excited... As you can imagine, then, I've been working capers into new dishes at every opportunity! Since eggplant is also one of Zach's favorite vegetables, it seemed I needed to learn to make caponata immediately... This is the version I concocted, and, if I may say so myself, it's utterly delightful and refreshing...

May our days always be flavorful and filled with new dishes!

Caponata

1 Eggplant, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 large onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

3 T olive oil

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, un-drained

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 T raw turbinado sugar

2 T capers, drained

~ Soak the eggplant in salt water for 15 minutes, then drain, rise, and pat dry.

~ In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the onion and celery until the onion is limp and translucent.

~ Reduce the heat to medium, add the eggplant, and continue to saute, stirring frequently, until the eggplant begins to brown.

~ Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.

~ Stir in the balsamic vinegar, turbinado sugar, and capers, and continue to simmer for 20 minutes - until the eggplant is tender and the mixture has thickened. Serve warm or cold, as a salad or atop slices of crusty whole grain bread!

On the blog this time last year... Black-Eyed Peas and Collards!