• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Vegan Larder logo

  • Recipes
  • Cook Books
  • About
  • Work with Me
  • Nav Social Menu

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Cook Books
  • About
  • Work with Me
  • Connect with us...

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » pepper

    Summer Holiday Sardinian Caponata

    Published: Jul 14, 2017 by Louise-Claire Cayzer · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A few weeks ago we spent the most blissful week on that gorgeous Italian island called Sardinia. In fact, we spent it on an island, off the island, called La Maddalena. 

    It's a sleepy place with pretty beaches reached by a short ferry ride from the main island of Sardinia. It has a little town full of gelaterias, pizzerias and little trattorias that specialise in seafood as well as the fabulous delis that specialise in traditional Sardinian foods. 

    this recipe

    We stayed in a lovely villa overlooking a little bay, just a 3 minute walk from a dreamy little beach with its own stone jetty that was perfect for jumping off into the warm silky water. My biggest goal for the week was to swim at least 5 times a day. One which I rather smugly can say I absolutely achieved. 

    I mean look at that view.. 

    As we were 6 people & the place was so delightful we mostly  spent the days lazing around the villa, eating copious amounts of  Sardinian delicacies, gorgeous fresh fruit & veggies and of course, wine.. and Prosecco... and local beer... and more wine, stopping only for a quick swim or a visit to the town for more provisions. 

    We were all completely beguiled by the abundance of fresh veggies, the local fruit monger (called delightfully & aptly Paradiso di Fruta)  had piles of  of glossy peppers & aubergines, tomatoes and olives, as well as mounds of fresh apricots, peaches & melons.  Despite there being 6 of us,  I somehow went a little overboard with the amount of delicious produce purchased, and just like the summer glut that we all are about to experience in our gardens, I had to do something or it would go to waste.

    And that something was going to be a version of that classic Mediterranean dish, ratatouille.

    The idea was to make something that we could use spooned over pasta, or slightly warm to dip bread into whilst we sipped wine & watched the sunset. I knew it would require a little effort over the stove, but that's something I'm more than willing to do if I know it means easy food for later. 

    The brilliant thing is, I had a real Sardinian with us (Hi AGAIN Raffaella- Maybe I should start a section on here called Raffa's Recipes! >< ) who steered me in a more Sardinian version of this classic dish, and so the initial idea became a much more appropriate Sardinian Caponata.

    According to Raffa , traditionally Caponata in Sardinia is made not only copious amounts of peppers & aubergines, it also uses local capers & olives & currants- and sometimes a tomato or two. I didn't have any currants, but I did have tomatoes. I also had fresh bay leaves from a tree planted outside the villa and some lush olive oil & local dried oregano to add to the flavours. 

    I love how recipes like this are variations on a theme, with changes made from region to region and even from kitchen to kitchen. The instructions passed on, improved on and adjusted according to taste and what is available at the time. So please, don't be scared to omit something, or add a little extra. The spirit of a dish like this is to use a glut, to use up what is there, to make a dish that is so more than a sum of its parts, always slightly different, and all the more delicious for it.

    Take the quantities I specify in the recipe below as a guide only, but if you see some peppers and an aubergine looking glossy at the market- use them. If you have a courgette (or 10!) growing in your garden, I used a few in this recipe too. Or not. The capers and olives add a lovely extra depth of flavour, but use just one.. or the other... or omit altogether. 

    This dish does take a long slow simmer on the stove, but the rewards are completely worth the hot effort. Make a vat full and use it up over a few days. It improves on standing, the flavours melding into one anotehr gorgeously. It freezes well too, perfect for a quick supper, or in the dead of winter to pull out & reheat for a lush reminder of warmer days. 
                     
     

    Sardinian Caponata

    Louise-Claire Cayzer
    Delicious flavours of the Mediterranean meld together to become a glorious stew. 
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 45 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian

    Ingredients Note:

    For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.

    (Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)

    Ingredients

    • 1 large Aubergine (Eggplant) (Chopped into 1cm cubes)
    • 3-4 Medium Red Peppers (Deseeded & Chopped into 1 square pieces)
    • 1-2 Medium Courgettes (Zucchini) (Chopped into 1cm cubes)
    • 2 Medium Tomatoes (Chopped into 1cm cubes)
    • 4-5 Tbs Olive Oil
    • 3 Tbs Capers (roughly chopped)
    • 1 Tbs Tomato Paste
    • 3 Tbs Olives (Stones out) (chopped)
    • 2 Bay Leaves
    • 2 teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ cup red wine (optional but nice)
    • 4-5 cloves garlic

    Instructions

    • In a deep and wide saucepan add half the olive oil and peppers, sautee over a medium heat for 5 minutes
    • Add the aubergine, adding a little extra oil and sautee for another 10 mins until the aubergine softens (Nobody likes undercooked aubergine, so keep going until its really cooked!)
    • Add the courgettes & garlic and cook for another 5 mins 
    • Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano and tomato paste and put the lid on the saucepan, simmer for 10 mins 
    • Add the wine (if using) or a little water, capers and olives and simmer for another 15 mins 
    • Check.- At this stage the vegetables should all start collapsing, the juices sort of squishing into each other. If it isn't quite to the squishy level desired, cook a little longer. 
    • Taste for salt and pepper & add as needed.  Serve with a little drizzle of olive oil. 

    Notes

    This is delicious the next day, served at room temperature. Or serve over a pasta or as part of a mezze type lunch, with plenty of bread to dip into it. 
    Tried this recipe and loved it? Follow and Mention @vegan_larder or comment and ⭐ below

    More pepper

    • Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Hummus without Oil
    • Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. andrea says

      March 26, 2018 at 9:54 pm

      very delicious food can you please add the recipes of the bread ?

      Reply
      • Louise-Claire Cayzer says

        March 26, 2018 at 10:20 pm

        Ah- Thank you! The bread was bought from a little bakery down the road from where we were staying, so sadly I don't have the recipe! I do however have a more rustic flatbread recipe already posted here... //theveganlarder.com/easy-vegan-chickpea-flour-flatbreads/

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I'm Louise-Claire!

    I believe vegan and plant-based food should be easy to make, never scary and above all, absolutely delicious. Also, it's for everyone, not just for vegans!

    Louise-Claire Cayzer portrait image.

    I'm a photographer, recipe developer and gardener. You'll find me in the kitchen, in the studio or wandering the garden, picking delicious veggies to make recipes for you!

    So why not stay a while, check out some of my recipes and try one or two for yourself...

    Find out more on my About Me page.

    Join the facebook group.

    Tofu Lovers, recipes for you...

    • Delicious Vegan Smoked Tofu Recipes
    • Sticky Miso Tofu- Air Fried or Oven Baked
    • Silken Tofu Recipes - Our Top 40
    • Vegan Sesame Tofu 'Prawn' Toast

    Vegan Dinners are easy...

    • Easy Smokey Butterbean Stew
    • Spiced Carrot and Parsnip Soup with Red Lentils
    • Easy Dreamy Creamy Vegetable Pasta
    • Vegan Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

    Vegan Air Fryer Recipes

    • Chickpea and Sage Stuffed Butternut Squash; Air fryer or Oven method
    • Air Fryer Broccoli and Cauliflower
    • Roasted Tomato and White Bean Stew
    • Marinated Brussel Sprouts with Sticky Balsamic

    Everyone's Favourite Recipes

    • Super Delicious Vegan Carrot Cake using Aquafaba
    • Chestnut, Mushroom & Squash Christmas Filo Wreath Pie
    • Green Tomato, Apple & Chilli Chutney
    • Lentil Koftas with Tomato Curry Coconut Sauce

    Lovely Lentils

    • Basic Vegan Lentil Bolognese
    • Lentil and Tomato Soup (Lentils Monastery Style)
    • Classic Swede (Rutabaga) and Carrot Soup
    • Amazing Beetroot & Lentil Burgers

    And to finish...Vegan Dessert!

    • Quick and Easy Vegan Clotted Cream
    • Chocolate Vegan Zucchini Muffins
    • Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
    • Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Black Beans
    • Contact Us
    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy, Cookies, Ads & T&C's

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
    • Our Story

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • What we Do

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 The Vegan Larder on the Cravings Pro Theme