Patrick learned how to make this dish whilst filming in the beautiful coastal town of Catania and (in a fairly risky move), he has decided to recreate it with a few of his own flavours. Italians are fiercely protective of their recipes so, for his sake, let's keep this one under our hats!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
2
Aubergine
(May contain Celery)
1
Celery Stick
(Contains Celery)
3
Garlic Clove
1
Red Pepper
1
Green Pepper
500
Tuscan Pork Sausage
(Contains Sulphites, Cereals containing gluten)
2
Chopped Tomatoes
30
Olives
2
White Wine Vinegar
(Contains Sulphites)
2
Ciabatta
(Contains Cereals containing gluten May contain Cereals containing gluten)
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Cut the aubergine in half lengthways and then chop into 2cm cubes. Chop the celery into ½cm chunks. Peel and grate half the garlic (or use a garlic press). Halve the peppers, remove the core and chop into 2cm chunks.
Spread the aubergine and peppers evenly on a baking tray. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast on the top shelf of your oven until soft and a little crispy around the edges, 20-25 mins. Turn halfway through cooking.
Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the celery with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Meanwhile, slice open the sausage and discard the skin.
When the celery is soft, after about 5 mins, add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add the sausage meat and use a spoon to break it up. Cook for 5 mins. Pour in the diced tomatoes, then fill the tin(s) a quarter with water and add to the sauce. If you are cooking for three people, add the tomato purée. Add the olives, white wine vinegar and another pinch of salt and stir. Simmer for 10-15 mins.
Once the veggies have roasted, remove them from your oven and add to the sauce. Turn your grill to high. Cut the ciabatta in half (as if you were making a sandwich) and toast on each side under your grill. Once toasted, cut the remaining garlic in half and rub it across the sut side of each ciabatta. Drizzle over a little oil and a pinch of salt.
Once your caponata has thickened, serve it in bowls. It can be eaten with cutlery or by using the ciabatta as a small edible shovel!