Caponata Stew

 

Do you remember these Hummus Cakes?  I made them last year when I was doing my Elimination Challenge. Since I couldn’t have tomatoes, mushrooms and eggplant at the beginning of the challenge, I missed out on the Caponata Stew, which is a slightly spicy vegetarian dish. Alexis’ mother-in-law made this for us a few summers ago when we went strawberry picking in her backyard, and I never forgot about it. I finally made it last month on one of the first really cold days of the winter.  It takes a bit of a time investment up front to get everything chopped and diced (which I actually love), but then you pretty much just let everything simmer away in one pot.

While it cooks, you can make the Hummus Cakes which are a snap if you have a food processor. To serve, you place a couple of the Hummus Cakes on the bottom of your plate or bowl, and spoon the stew over top. The Hummus Cakes have a rich, smooth, mellow flavour, which is the perfect contrast to the heat and tang of the Caponata Stew. The recipe also says you can serve the stew over brown rice, and I think it would be great with pasta as well. If you’re into Meatless Mondays, it fits nicely into the vegetarian niche as well.

Caponata Stew

Source: Vegetarian Times

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced (about 3 1/2 cups)

2 tsp olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

8 oz cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms, quartered (about 3 cups)

1 28oz can fire-roasted (or regular) diced tomatoes

1/2 cup dry red wine OR 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried oregano

Directions

1. Place eggplant in a colander, and sprinkle generously with salt. Let stand 10 minutes, then rinse, and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno, and saute for 10 minutes. Add eggplant and mushrooms, and saute for 10 more minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes, 1 cup of water, wine OR vinegar, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about an hour until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve over Hummus Cakes, brown rice, pasta or with garlic bread.