Caponata on Toast with Buffalo Mozzarella

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

Prep: 10 minutes

Cooking: 45 minutes

  • Extra virgin olive oil

  • 3 large aubergines, cut into 2cm chunks

  • Sea salt

  • 1 red onion, peeled and thickly sliced

  • 4 celery stalks, cut into 1cm slices

  • 200ml passata

  • 75g capers, drained and rinsed

  • 150g kalamata olives, pitted and halved

  • 50g sugar

  • 50-75ml red wine vinegar

  • Seeded sourdough, sliced

  • Buffalo mozzarella 

  • 50g pine nuts, toasted

  • Fresh basil leaves

Method

  1. Heat 5cm of oil in a deep, heavy-based frying pan until hot. Fry the diced aubergine in batches until golden brown and soft. Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt and set aside. 

  2. Wipe out the frying pan and add 4 more tbsp of oil. Heat over a medium-low heat then add the onion and celery and cook for 8 minutes. Add the passata and cook for another 5 minutes, then stir in the capers and olives.

  3. Add the sugar and vinegar to the pan, allowing the sugar to dissolve in the heat. 

  4. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, tasting to see if it needs more sugar or vinegar. Turn off the heat, add the aubergines and gently mix together. 

  5. Grill the sourdough slices. Top each slice with a couple of generous spoons of caponata, torn mozzarella, pine nuts and basil leaves.  

Jade ThorneComment