Caponata

Adapted from The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982)

Makes 7 to 8 cups

2 pounds eggplant
Salt
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
½ cup pitted, halved green olives*
¼ cup rinsed and drained capers
1 tablespoon pine nuts
⅓ cup red wine vinegar heated with 1 tablespoon sugar dissolved in it

Peel the eggplant, and cut it into ¾-inch cubes. Salt the cubes, and let them drain in a colander over a plate or in the sink for about 30 minutes. Shake the colander, transfer the eggplant to a kitchen towel or paper towels, and pat dry.

Heat half the oil in a large skillet, and sauté half the eggplant until golden brown, about 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a strainer or colander, and let drain. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, sauté the rest of the eggplant, and drain as above.

In the same oil (adding up to 2 tablespoons more oil if necessary), sauté the onions and celery until just tender. Add the tomatoes. Cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Uncover, and cook 5 minutes more.

If your skillet is not large enough to hold everything, transfer the vegetables to a larger pot before proceeding. (A wide Dutch oven or a 6- to 7-quart pot works well here. I often use my 6.25-quart Le Creuset risotto pot.)

Add the eggplant, olives, capers, and pine nuts. Pour the vinegar-sugar mixture over everything. Cover, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, and cool.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

*I have recently discovered pitted Gordal olives, which are astonishingly flavorful and deeply savory. I know this sounds like an exaggeration; it is not. If you can find them, use them here.