Caponata

Caponata is an Italian dish, quite similar to French Ratatouille; cubed or diced eggplant, onion, celery, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, etc. Caponata usually contains green olives, and since I like capers I add some, plus some toasted pine nuts, and if I have zucchini on hand, I dice it and add it as well.


The ingredients, except the olives, capers and pine nuts can be sauteed in olive oil until tender, or do as I do and place the ingredients in a shallow baking pan, toss with a little olive oil and roast in a 375º to 400º  preheated oven, stirring occasionally. I usually don't add the tomatoes until the other veggies are almost tender, then continue roasting until the ingredients are very tender and nearly all the liquid has evaporated. Cool and serve at room temperature.  (May be covered and refrigerated to serve later.)  It will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.


It's very good served as a topping on bruschetta, crackers, tucked into an omelet, as a spread added to a grilled cheese or other favorite sandwich. It's also good as a topping on cheese pizza, either before the pizza goes into the oven or after, as well as a condiment to serve along with simply prepared chicken or fish.


If you've never made this, once you do, I'm sure you'll see how easy it is. And you can adjust the ingredients to suit your own taste. Occasionally I'll add tiny, quartered artichoke hearts, black olives instead of green, whatever sounds good will usually work.
I loosely follow this recipe, if there is a vegetable listed that you don't care for (or don't have on hand),  feel free to omit it.


 I don't like quite as much sugar in mine so I reduce it by at least half. I suggest starting with a smaller amount, then add more if you like it sweeter. 
If you make this version I hope you enjoy!
xo ~m.
Note:  The recipe for Amaretti Cookies is now up over on my recipe blog. Click here.
Linking to Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm. Please come see the lovely things that are going on there!

A Twist on Moussaka ~ Greece Meets France!

Greece meets France in this twist I devised as a shortcut for the Greek dish Moussaka, using what I had on hand  (most noticeably not enough eggplant to make the traditional Greek version!)
Instead, with some odds and ends of fresh vegetables from the  late harvest I made a batch of oven roasted Ratatouille, then proceeded with an adaptation of Moussaka.

Ratatouille ~ deliciously French!
I don't really use an exact recipe for ratatouille and that's just  what I love about dishes like this ~the option of adapting it to  suit ones own taste (or according to what combinations  of vegetables you happen to have.)

You see in the photo from back to front: Red and Green Bell Peppers, Onion, whole garlic cloves and Zucchini, Slender purple eggplant and ripe tomato chunks.

That being said, I prepare oven roasted Ratatouille  much like this as found on about.com/French Food.
It's wonderful to have a bowl of this savory treat in the fridge; good on toasted baguette slices, as a topping  or base for scrambled or fried eggs, as a side dish with fowl or meats, or main dish with grains, rice, or pasta.
 If it's not served warm, it's really best at room temperature so take it out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes to an hour before serving.

Moussaka ~ Delightfully Greek!
This time when making moussaka, instead of the usual eggplant  (or combination of eggplant and potatoes) as the vegetable layers  I used the ratatouille as the base layer, then a layer of spiced, sauteed minced lamb (you can use ground beef, or a mix of lamb and beef). I've seen versions omitting the meat altogether.


Right out of the oven.  (It serves more neatly if allowed to cool for 20 to 30 minutes.)

Over the meat another layer of the ratatouille,  and finally topped with a layer Bechamel sauce  ( medium-thick white sauce) and a dusting of grated  Parmesan cheese. The Parmesan cheese sprinkle on the  Bechamel sauce develops an appetizing golden brown while baking.
Keeper!! This can be assembled ahead and refrigerated until baking time; and it reheats well, too.
Using the ratatouille for the veggie(s) may not be "real" moussaka, but it is very, very good!

If you would like a recipe for authentic Greek Moussaka, this one is a favorite.  (I'm not sure I'll go back though!)

Thank you for stopping by today!
Blessings ~ m. xo

Eggplant Parmesan ~ My Way

Not traditional... but grilled, and stacked.

You see, occasionally I try to lighten up some of our favorites...

This time I did a different take on Eggplant Parmesan.

It is a dish that we love, but most versions can be loaded with fat.

One of my favorite elements of the traditional version is the crunchy, breaded texture of the fried eggplant... which unfortunately contains a fair amount of fat and calories. :(

In an effort to lighten up the recipe I lightly brushed the eggplant slices with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and cooked them until just tender on the grill.

Using the same cooking method for the purple onion slices, I stacked them on top, then topped with a thick slice of tomato.

Next I topped it with a big mounded KISS of grated mozzarella cheese ~

(tossed the cheese with some minced fresh basil and fresh parsley, first).

Then sprinkled the entire stack with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

I placed the stacks into a 325* (F) oven, just until heated through, and cheese melted.

When thinking out the recipe, I knew I would have to pump up the flavors elsewhere since I had eliminated many of the yummy fat laden elements, so I made a modified version of

Giada De Laurentiis' Fresh Spinach Pesto (click.)

I love that recipe!

But this time I needed a thinner sauce, rather than thick pesto so I modified her recipe by increasing the lemon juice slightly, adding a little water (to make a thinner pesto), and reduced the amount of oil and toasted pine nuts.

It complimented the stacks perfectly ~ I spooned the cool sauce around the warm eggplant stacks, and garnished with a few more toasted pine nuts for crunch and visual interest.

Happily, my slimmed down version of Eggplant Parmesan received thumbs-up around the table, so I'll definitely make it again.

We found it satisfying and filling but not heavy.

If you try it my way, I hope you'll like it, too. :)

P.S. A drizzle of deeply aged, sweet Balsamic Vinegar would not be out of place as a finish over this dish, at all.