1 large eggplant or 2 small, about 1 ½ lbs.
1 tbs. salt
2 large red bell peppers
1 large onion
2 stalks celery
¼ c. olive oil
¼ tsp. dried hot pepper flakes
1 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs. red wine vinegar
1 tbs. sugar
½ c. diced Kalamata olives
1 tbs. drained capers
Peel eggplant; cut into ¾ inch cubes. Place in a large colander,
sprinkle with salt and toss. Let it stand and drain in the sink, tossing
occasionally, for 1 hr. Rinse and drain well, squeeze in clean kitchen towels
to extract moisture. Reserve.
Core and seed bell peppers and cut into ¾ inch chunks. Chop onion into
similar sized dice. Cut celery into think slides.
Heat the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers,
onion, celery and pepper flakes; saute for 5 min. Add the reserved eggplant and
cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 5 min longer.
Add the tomatoes, minced garlic, vinegar and sugar. Cook and stir over
medium high heat for 3 min. Add chopped olives and capers to the skillet. Cook
over medium low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is
thickened. Serve hot as a vegetable side dish or cool to room temperature and
serve as a relish or on an antipasto tray. My favorite is as an appetizer with
thin slices of baguette bread.
