The caponata are endless variations: with or without the peppers with pine nuts, no potatoes, only with eggplant. Only Sicilian DOC know the original because it is a traditional dish.

Method

Wash the eggplant and cut into cubes. Put them in a colander, sprinkle with salt and let them rest under the pressure of a weight for half an hour, so that they lose the bitter vegetation water. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Cut the onion into thin slices and celery into small pieces. Fry the onions and celery in a pan with half a glass of rather high heat oil stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Now add the tomatoes prepared filets and cook for about 20 minutes.

When the tomato sauce is almost ready add half a tablespoon of sugar, pine nuts, vinegar, olives, capers and raisins previously soaked in water and squeezed. Let the vinegar flavor until complete evaporation. In another pan fry in plenty of olive oil the eggplant cubes prepared previously, then drain and leave to dry on kitchen paper.

Add the eggplant to the pan with the sauce just prepared. Take mix everything cook over medium heat for about ten minutes.

Let cool, sprinkle with chopped basil. Serve hot or cold.