Name: Caponata with buffalo mozzarella
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 1 large (about 600g) aubergine, cut into 3cm cubes; 100ml olive oil, plus a drizzle to serve; 100g blanched almonds; ½ red onion, roughly chopped; 2 celery sticks, cut into 2cm pieces; 100g large pitted green olives, quartered; 3 tbsp capers, soaked in water for 2 hours if salted (see Tips); 400ml passata; 2 tsp caster sugar; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 1 tbsp pine nuts; Handful basil leaves; Salt flakes to sprinkle; 2 buffalo mozzarella balls, quartered; Fresh sourdough to serve (optional)

Caponata with buffalo mozzarella

Top the beloved sweet-and-sour vegetable dish caponata with creamy buffalo mozzarella in this delicious late-summer recipe from Amber Guinness. Amber says: “This recipe unites two great culinary traditions by pairing buffalo mozzarella (made in Campania, near Naples) with caponata, an emblematic dish of Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. Caponata reflects influences from Sicily’s cultural past – sweet and sour from the Arabs, tomatoes from the Spanish. It pairs beautifully with the milky tang of the mozzarella.” A cook, author and journalist, Amber was born in London but raised in Tuscany, where she co-founded the Arniano Painting School in what was her family home. This recipe taken from is taken from her second cookbook, Coastal Italian (Thames & Hudson £29.99), and has been tested by delicious. Discover more recipes from Sicily with our full guide to the region’s food.

Gluten-freeVegetarian

Serves6

Hands-on40 min. Oven time 20 min

Oven50 min

DifficultyEasy

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6. Put the aubergine cubes on a baking tray, then toss with 2 tbsp of the oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, spread out the almonds on a second tray and toast in the oven for 5 minutes or until they darken and start to smell nutty. Remove from the oven, cool, then roughly chop.

Pour 2 tbsp of the olive oil into a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery and a pinch of salt and gently fry, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add the olives, capers and remaining olive oil and stir well. Pour in the passata, then add 200ml water to the jar and swish it around. Pour that in too, stir well and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the roasted aubergine to the pan with the sugar and a generous pinch of salt, then cover and cook over a very low heat for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the caponata from the heat and stir in the vinegar, pine nuts, chopped almonds and basil. Cool to room temperature, then drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Serve with the mozzarella and fresh sourdough, if you like.

Per serving (Serves 6)

Calories

542kcals

Fat

38g (9.9g saturated)

Protein

19g

Carbohydrates

27g (10g sugars)

Fibre

5.9g

Quick wins, tips & make ahead

Amber’s tips: “Here the aubergine is roasted to make the dish a little lighter than usual, but fry it for 5 minutes in a generous splash of oil if you prefer.”

“I usually use the large salted capers from Salina, soaked in water for 2 hours, although you could use capers in brine, which don’t need any soaking.”

If you’re using salted capers, soak them for 2 hours in water, changing the water three times. If they’re in brine they’re ready to use right away.