Palermo vs. Provence
Choose your fighter: caponata or ratatouille
Are you tiring under the burden of using all those endless tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and eggplants? As we reach peak harvest season, the “core four” have been piling up on the kitchen counter, and it’s often a race against a rapidly-ripening clock. But luckily this week, two heavyweights enter the ring. From the sun-dappled hills of southern France, we have ratatouille; and from the volcanic wonderland of Sicily, caponata. They’re similar, but different; two vibrant, olive oil-laden paeans to late summer, each uniquely reflective of its home. With these two powerhouses, you can put away pounds of produce in one afternoon’s batch-cooking session.
The Provençal classic of ratatouille stands as one of the absolute best things you can eat in the summer. There are different ways of doing it, each respectable in their own right, but I prefer my ratatouille chunky and suspended in an oily, brick-red sauce; the vegetables get cubed into roughly equal chunks and quickly sautéed, rather than sliced and roasted. (This video from the legendary Marco Pierre White is a good showcase of the style.) And while French purists swear by cooking each vegetable individually, I rarely have the patience to do so, although I do recommend frying the eggplant separately before you cook the rest. After all the vegetables are cooked and chilled down to room temperature (never eat ratatouille hot!), I mix in a fistful of chopped basil and top with a bit of fennel pollen and flaky salt.
However much I love ratatouille, caponata may have the upper hand on nostalgia alone. This is adapted from my grandma’s recipe, and while most kids ate Doritos after school, I was frequently having her caponata on taralli (while also eating Doritos). Not unlike ratatouille, the eggplant gets cubed and fried in olive oil, along with tomatoes, celery and olives. It’s a Southern Italian classic that exhibits the sweet-sour agrodulce quality that some of the best Italian dishes have. And while my rendition isn’t quite as consistently perfect as my grandma’s — has any Bon Appetit-addled home cook ever captured grandmotherly perfection? — it is the perfect thing to eat with taralli.
Caponata
Ingredients
1 large globe eggplant, or 2-3 fairytale or Japanese eggplants, cubed (skin-on)
2 medium-size red tomatoes, peeled, cored, chopped into chunks
1/2 white/yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 cup olives, roughly chopped - I like to use a mix of Kalamata and Castelvetrano
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon triple-concentrated tomato paste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (more as needed)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1-2 cups water
Dried oregano
Fennel pollen
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Instructions
Set a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until the garlic is golden. Stir to incorporate the tomato paste.
Add the onions and celery and cook until softened, approx. 10 minutes. Salt throughout.
Add the eggplant and tomato and set the heat to medium-high. Salt throughout and add water as you go, keeping it a loose, saucy consistency.
Cook for approx. 15-20 minutes until the eggplant is fully softened and tomatoes have cooked down into a sauce. Add the honey and olives, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add more water and oil as needed to keep the consistency right.
Turn the heat off and add the spices, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a container and chill before eating.
Ratatouille
Ingredients
3 sweet peppers, cubed and seeds removed; I like to use a red bell, a yellow bell, and a light green cubanelle
1 large zucchini or 2 medium-size zucchini, cubed
1 medium-size globe eggplant, or 2 fairytale or Japanese eggplants, cubed (skin-on)
2 medium-size red tomatoes, peeled, cored, chopped into chunks
1/2 white/yellow onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons triple-concentrated tomato paste
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (more as needed)
1/2 cup of water, vegetable stock, or ricotta whey (more as needed)
Handful of basil, sliced
Red chili flakes, Calabrian chili, or chili oil
Fennel pollen
Dried oregano
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Instructions
Set a large pan over high heat and add a generous amount of olive oil. When the oil is hot, fry the eggplant until golden brown. Remove, place on a plate lined with paper towel, and set aside.
Turn down the heat to low, add more olive oil, and add the garlic, tomato paste, and a small amount of chili flakes/oil for heat. Cook until the garlic is golden brown and stir to incorporate the tomato paste.
Add the peppers and onions. Cook on medium heat until they’ve started to soften. Add the water, stock or whey and turn heat to high; cook for another 10-15 minutes until they are nearly cooked through. Salt throughout.
Add the zucchini and tomato and continue to cook and medium-high heat. Add liquid and olive oil as necessary and stir regularly. Cook for approx. 15 minutes until the zucchini has softened and the tomato is sauce-like consistency.
At the last moment of cooking, add the eggplant and stir to combine. Add the dried oregano, fennel pollen, salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the pan and transfer to a container; cover and place in the fridge until it has chilled. This can keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Before serving, mix in a generous amount of basil and top with flaky salt. Eat at room temperature.