Grilled Caponata Recipes

GRILLED CAPONATA PANINI

Steps:

• To prepare vegetables, preheat grill to medium-high (about 450°F). Coat first 6 ingredients with cooking spray; arrange on grill grate. Grill green onions 2 minutes; remove from grill and chop. Grill remaining vegetables 5 more minutes, turning occasionally. Remove stems and seeds from bell peppers; discard. Reserve 4 bell peppers and 4 red onion wedges; cut remaining vegetables into 2-inch pieces.
• Place chopped green onions, oil, juice, 1 tablespoon water, salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine grilled vegetables and green onion mixture in a bowl. Reserve 4 cups vegetable mixture for Farro Burrito Bowls and Grilled Vegetable Frittata.
• To prepare panini, place reserved 4 bell peppers and 4 red onion wedges in food processor with olives, capers, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and ground red pepper; process until smooth. Hollow out top and bottom halves of rolls, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell. Spread bell pepper mixture over bottom halves of rolls; top with remaining grilled vegetables, mozzarella, basil, and top halves of rolls.
• Coat grill grate with cooking spray. Place 2 sandwiches on grill; top with a cast-iron skillet. Grill 2 minutes on each side or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 sandwiches.

GRILLED CAPONATA

Steps:

• Heat your grill to high. Brush the eggplant, onion slices and tomatoes with olive oil and season each type of vegetable with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Grill the eggplant for 6 to 8 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Grill the onions for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown and just cooked through. Grill the tomatoes for 2 minutes per side until charred and slightly soft. Remove to a cutting board and cut into quarters.
• Remove the vegetables from the grill to a cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer the vegetables to a medium bowl and add the olives, capers, raisins and pine nuts.
• Mix together the garlic, red pepper flakes, vinegar and honey in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup of olive oil and whisk until emulsified.
• Pour the dressing over the vegetables, add the parsley and stir gently to combine. Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours before serving.

GRILLED FONTINA AND CAPONATA PANINI

Steps:

• Arrange 2 bread slices on work surface. Top each bread slice with 1/4 of cheese, 3 tablespoons caponata and half of tomato. Sprinkle each with half of rosemary, then salt and pepper. Top with remaining cheese and bread. Brush top and bottom bread slices with oil.
• Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sandwiches to skillet and grill until bread is golden brown and cheese melts, about 6 minutes per side.
• Transfer sandwiches to plates. Cut in half and serve hot.

GRILLED EGGPLANT CAPONATA

Steps:

• Light the grill: Place a chimney starter on the grate of a charcoal grill. Add newspaper in the bottom, then fill the top with charcoal. Light the newspaper; the fire will light the charcoal. When the charcoal is mature with ashed-over gray embers (about 30-45 minutes later), pour the charcoal from the chimney into the bottom of the grill. Set the grill rack aside-you won't need it for this recipe.
• Roast the vegetables and make the vinaigrette: Place the eggplant, leeks, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and garlic scapes directly onto the coals in an even layer. Stand the bunch of spring onions up so the bulbs are in the coals and the stalks are leaning against the side of the grill (this will create a natural handle for easy removal). Cook 10-15 minutes, turning the vegetables once to ensure they char evenly. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: In a mortar, combine the capers, anchovies, shallots, a big pinch of salt, and pepper. Using the pestle, crush and grind the mixture to break it down to a chunky mash. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the vinegar and olive oil to saturate and combine. Season with lots of black pepper. Set aside.
• Finish roasting the vegetables: The vegetables are done when they're charred and soft. The tomatoes will be done first, followed by the leeks, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and spring onions. Remove the tomatoes and add them directly into the vinaigrette; crush them with the back of a spoon to release juices. Chop the onions into fourths, discarding the charred stalks, and add to bowl. Chop the eggplant into chunks, add to bowl, and stir to combine; the eggplant will start to absorb the oil. Add the chopped celery and leaves; then chiffonade all the herbs, add them to the bowl, and stir thoroughly. Chop the zucchini and add to the bowl. Chop the peppers, discarding the seeds but keeping the charred skin, and add to the bowl. Stir while the vegetables are still hot so they will absorb all of the vinaigrette. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.
• Assemble the caponata: Cut the bread into big chunks and place on the coals to toast for a few minutes until lightly charred. Cut the mozzarella into rustic pieces (or tear by hand) and place on a serving platter. Arrange the caponata next to the mozzarella, hand-tear the toasted bread, and add it to the platter. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH CAPONATA SALSA

Steps:

• Mix tomatoes, celery, onion, olives, chopped oregano, capers, garlic, and crushed red pepper in medium bowl. Whisk red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in small bowl; pour over tomato mixture and toss to coat. Season caponata to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Caponata can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Peel eggplant lengthwise to create alternating 2-inch-wide intervals of peeled and unpeeled skin. Cut eggplant crosswise into 6 slices, each about 1 inch thick. Brush eggplant slices with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill eggplant slices until slightly charred and very tender when pierced with knife, about 8 minutes per side.
• Place 1 grilled eggplant slice on each of 6 plates. Spoon caponata over, garnish with oregano sprigs, and serve warm or at room temperature.

BLUEFISH GRILLED WITH CAPONATA

Steps:

• Cut the eggplant into a small dice. Place in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon salt. After 30 minutes, rinse, drain and spread the eggplant on several thicknesses of paper towel; roll it up and squeeze out excess moisture.
• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant, fennel, red pepper, onion and garlic. Sauté about 15 minutes, until very tender. In a bowl, whisk the tomato paste and anchovy paste with the wine; stir mixture into vegetables in skillet. Fold in the olives and capers. Remove caponata from heat and fold in the parsley.
• Prepare a very hot grill or heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush four pieces of heavy-duty foil, about 12 by 18 inches, with remaining oil. Place a bluefish fillet, skin side down, in the center of each. Season each with salt and spread with caponata. Enclose the fillets in foil, leaving some air space; crimp edges tightly to seal.
• Place packages on the grill, close lid and cook about 10 minutes, or cook in oven directly on rack, about 10 minutes. Remove packages, open them and use a wide spatula to slide each fillet with its topping off the skin, which should stick to the foil. Transfer fish to a serving platter or to four dinner plates.

GRILLED EGGPLANT CAPONATA

Steps:

• Soak currants in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and put aside.
• Brush eggplant and onion slices with olive oil on both sides, using the 1/3 cup oil.
• Grill onion slices over a medium-hot fire until lightly charred but cooked through, about 7 minutes per side. Grill eggplant slices for about 5 minutes on each side, until slices are soft inside and outsides have become slightly charred.
• Remove eggplant and onion slices and cool briefly. Remove outer skin from onion slices.
• Drain tomatoes, reserving juice. In a large bowl mix reserved tomato juice with cocoa powder until cocoa dissolves. Chop tomatoes and add to mixture. Then mix in currants, capers, anchovies, green olives, calamata olives, jalapeno pepper and parsley. Coarsely chop eggplant and onions and fold into tomato mixture. Stir in vinegar and the 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with kosher salt. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.