Caponata Sorta

As a child in Sicily, Sundays were very special to me as every third Sunday my nonna would whip up her toothsome take on this southern classic.

To plump the raisins:

6 cups cider vinegar
6 cups water
3 cups sugar
2 cups green or golden raisins

- combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer
- allow to cool and remove raisins; reserve vinegar for another use

Caponata

The Eggplant:
2 qts diced eggplant, cut the size of actual dice, unless you're into Dungeons & Dragons in which case your dice are pretty weird, you have to admit
1 Tbsp salt
flour as needed prepared as 20:1 ratio of flour to smoked paprika
egg/milk mixture for breading as needed
pureed panko/potato flake mixture for breading

- salt the diced eggplant and set aside 1 hour; rinse and pat dry
- bread the eggplant by dredging in flour, then egg mixture and finally breadcrumb mixture
- deep fry eggplant @ 350 until golden and cooked through; season with salt

The Onions:
2 very large red onions sliced in thirds
extra virgin olive oil as needed
salt as needed

- rub the onion slices with oil and salt and grill until cooked through
- cut into dice by slicing a tic-tac-toe pattern in each slice; combine with eggplant

The Tomatoes:
2 qts peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
8 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 cup xv olive oil
1/2 cup reserved vinegar from raisins combined with 1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp salt
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp black pepper

- warm the oil and garlic over medium heat until garlic is golden; immediately add tomatoes
- add vinegar/honey mixture, salt, paprika and pepper and simmer 45 minutes
- combine tomato mixture with eggplant mixture

The Rest:
reserved raisins
2 Tbsp drained capers
reserved eggplant/onion/tomato mixture
salt and pepper to taste

- combine all ingredients and season to taste; allow to sit overnight before serving