Baked Eggplant Caponata with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis
from Ryan Goldsmith of Daily Harvest CateringServes 12 to 24
INGREDIENTS:
For the Caponata
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Eggplant, cut in 3/4 inch cubes
Dried Thyme and Marjoram
2 stalks Celery, diced
1 onion Chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
2 large Tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Olives of choice, sliced & pitted
1/2 cup Dry red wine
2 Tbsp Drained capers
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Unbleached sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Lightly toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup Chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup Chopped Italian basil
1 regular package Pita Bread
For the Red Pepper Coulis
3 Red bell peppers
1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup Braised garlic
2 Tbsp Fresh thyme, removed from stems
Salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION:
For the Caponata
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil. Toss eggplant with a bit of olive oil in a bowl, with dried thyme and marjoram. Place coated eggplant on cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until soft and lightly browned.
Boil 1 quart of filtered water. Cut a small X on the bottom of each tomato and blanch in the boiling water. Remove after1 minute, and remove skins from tomatoes. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, sauté the celery, onion, and garlic in the 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat until the celery has wilted, stirring often. Add the baked eggplant to the celery mixture along with the peeled tomatoes, capers, olives, vinegar, sugar, wine and pine nuts. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, about 20 minutes.
When eggplant mixture is thick, add salt and pepper to taste. Once removed from heat, add fresh parsley and basil.
Yield: about 3 cups
For the Red Pepper Coulis
For the pita triangles, cut pitas into 4 or 6 parts, and toss triangles in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on cookie sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Roast peppers over open flame until uniformly charred black on all sides.Place in a paper bag and close tightly for 15 minutes. Remove skins, keeping fingers moist to peel the peppers.
Remove tops, seeds, and membranes and chop the peppers. In a blender, add chopped peppers, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, braised garlic, stemmed thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend well until smooth.
Yield: about 1 cup
Place Caponata in a large flat bottomed bowl. Top with Red Pepper Coulis. Serve with toasted pita chips