Description
I made this recipe to combine the tastes of eggplant parmesan and caponata, an Italian eggplant appetizer. It is quite rich and uses a lot of olive oil. It is best served with linguini or some other kind of pasta on the side. It is a bit sweet and a bit salty with a nice texture.
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 8 slices mozzarella cheese
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (16 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 anchovy fillets, chopped (Optional)
- 3 tablespoons capers, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large heavy skillet. Saute eggplant until each piece becomes saturated with oil. Use eggplant to line the bottom of a 3 quart casserole dish. Saute the red peppers until tender
- and layer over eggplant in casserole dish. Top with mozzarella.
- Heat remaining olive oil
- and cook onions and garlic until lightly browned and caramelized. Stir in stewed tomatoes
- basil
- and oregano and simmer 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar
- red wine vinegar
- brown sugar
- and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add anchovy fillets
- if using
- and capers. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the mozzarella cheese in the casserole dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of sauce.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes
- or until cheese is melted.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 8