Recipe: Caponata, an Italian eggplant stew

November 10, 8:02 PMLA Cooking ExaminerErika Kerekes

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Beautiful eggplant show up at the farmers' markets in Los Angeles well into late fall. Once the weather turns from summer heat to autumn crisp, this sweet-sour Italian eggplant stew feels just right. Serve it at room temperature with small rounds of chewy bread and a few crumbles of goat cheese on top for the perfect holiday hors d'oeuvre.

Look for the long, thin varieties of eggplant - they're much less bitter than the fat ones, and they don't even need peeling.

More starters: Smoked salmon avocado toasts * Pate with walnuts and bacon * Eggplant rolls with goat cheese * Radish and truffle butter tartines * Zucchini flower quesadillas * Cheese straws

Eggplant caponata

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 large stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb long, thin eggplant, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• salt
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and celery about 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and stir another 30 seconds; do not let the garlic brown. Add the eggplant, tomato paste, raisins, vinegar, sugar, and salt to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn down the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the stew on low about 1 hour, or until all the vegetables are soft and breaking down.

While the stew is simmering, toast the pine nuts in a dry nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, shaking the pan constantly so that the nuts do not burn. They are done when they start to color and you can smell them. Transfer the nuts to a bowl to cool.

When the caponata is finished, stir in the pine nuts and chopped parsley. Let cool to room temperature before serving. The caponata will keep in the refrigerator up to 10 days; actually, it improves with time.