Caponata: Sicilian way of relishing eggplants...

I love textures in my food along with the varied flavors. And if you have been reading my blog for sometime you would know how much I love my vegetables. 

My fruit portions are compromised for my vegetables just because I am more of a savory tooth than sweet. Vegetables make my complete meals many times as I don't miss anything else when my veggie platter is my kinda yummy.

And this Caponata is my kinda yummy...

ingredients...
(2 large servings)
Egg plants* halved lengthwise and then chopped in 1 inch pieces 2 cups
halved shallots or baby onions 1 cup
sliced mushrooms 1 cup
large ripe tomatoes 2 
chopped garlic 1 tbsp or more
 Basil leaves torn, up to 1 cup or as desirable
sliced green pitted olives as much as you want
Peanut (or olive) oil 1 tbsp
tomato ketchup 1 tbsp if in a hurry or good quality tomato paste (home made or otherwise) 1 tbsp
a light drizzle of Extra virgin olive oil when finishing the dish

*red chilly powder or black pepper powder is optional, use if required
*Regarding Egg plants, the small oval variety is preferable but longer ones are suitable too, Avoid the round variety for caponata. 

Read on how to make it in ten minutes flat...

You can always blanch the tomatoes on the side when you chop everything else and then get ready with the stir frying. The dish is a kind of relish to be served as a side dish. Or it can be made drier as a stir fry.

Mine is something in between as I wanted to eat this with some soft cooked daliya (broken wheat). The meal was awesome. It can brighten up a dull meal within minutes of tossing up a few ingredients in a pan.

The ingredients are all available at home almost all the time as these are staple vegetables in all Indian homes. Just the fresh basil might be an issue for some but you can always rely on dry stuff or just omit that. Caponata will still be yummy.

Fresh basil from my garden makes me really happy in more ways than one...Have you tried growing it? Basil is a nice forgiving plant and grows well in Indian climate. Just try once you wouldn't be disappointed.

Fresh herbs make a difference for sure. They are my life line when it comes to instill life into some dead vegetables. Literally.