Perfect for a cold winter’s night, this traditional Sicilian stew is based on vegetables, especially eggplant. The stew can be served warm with a big bowl of spaghetti, or cold as an antipasti with toasted focaccia on the side.
Serves: 4–6
Ingredients
- 800g eggplant
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree, diluted with a little water
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 20 pitted green olives
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 head celery, chopped leaves and stalks
- 1 tablespoon raisins (optional)
- salt
- pepper
Method
Cut the eggplant into 3cm chunks, soak in cold water for five minutes, then drain. This will stop the eggplant from absorbing too much oil.
Fry the onion in the olive oil in a large pan for a few minutes to soften. Put the eggplant chunks into the pan and fry until soft and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, diluted tomato purée, sugar, olives, vinegar, celery leaves and stalks, raisins, and some salt and pepper, and stew slowly until everything is melted together, about 30 minutes.
Serve either cold or warm as a side dish, or by itself with good country bread.
Recipe taken from The Collection by Antonio Carluccio
The Godfather of Italian food, Antonio Carluccio is an internationally acclaimed cook whose worldwide book sales number in the millions and whose television series have screened in over 20 countries. Now, for the first time, he has brought together over 300 of his best recipes to form this ultimate compilation. Capturing Antonio’s simple, joyful and no-fuss approach to cooking, this exceptional book provides a unique culinary journey covering every aspect of the Italian meal from antipasti to dolci and featuring mouth-watering dishes from each of Italy’s distinct culinary regions. It is packed with stunning photographs and infused with Antonio’s characteristic voice and style.
You can purchase The Collection at cooked.com.
Published by Quadrille Publishing.
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