CAPONATA
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Caponata (Sicilian: capunata) is a Sicilian eggplant (aubergine) dish consisting of a cooked vegetable salad made from chopped fried eggplant and celery seasoned with sweetened vinegar, with capers in a sweet and sour sauce.[1]
Numerous local variations of the ingredients exist with some versions adding olives, carrots and green bell peppers, and others adding potatoes, or pine nuts and raisins.
2 onions – roughly chopped
1 celery – chopped in large slices (include leaves )
1/2 kg San marzano or Piccadilly tomatoes cuts into small cubes OR fresh tomato sauce
4 eggplants – chopped in cubes of around 2cm diameter
5 peppers.- chopped i squares of 2 cm diameter
basil just the leaves
salt
pepper
100 g of pine nuts
100 g raisins
2 teaspoons of sugar
3 tables spoons of vinegar
handful of basil chopped
olive oil
peanut oil
Preparing the eggplants
Take most of the skin off with a peeler and cut 3 of the aubergines into cubes of around 2-3 cms .
Add a generous amount of salt to all the eggplant and place in a drainer and let them drain for around 1.30 -2 hours . (This will take all the bitterness out and water from the eggplant , meaning they will absorb less fat ) .
Preparing the base of the Caponata
in a frying plan add a large lug of olive oil and add the onions and celery and gently fry , adding a few table spoons of water once and while so it stays nice and soft . Add the tomatoes , capers and olives and slowing continue frying for around 5 minutes , then dd the sugar and vinegar and gently mix together . Turn off .
Fry the peppers and all aubergines separately in pan with a large quantity of hot peanut oil gently fry until the aubergines are golden and soft and the peppers the same .
Once finished add the eggplants and peppers to the caponata base and on a low heat stir and add the large handful or basil .
The caponata is done.
Maccheroni di Casa Sicilian sausage ,wild fennel & tomato .
Ingredients for the Pasta for 4 -6 people
Long thin metal skewers . called ferro, a metal spike . . However, a thin wooden skewer works as a substitute too.
800 g of semola flour
a lug of olive oil
1o0 ml of water- adding it gently you may need more
a large pinch salt
Ingredients for the pasta sauce
1/2 Half red onion – finely chopped
300 g of sausage without the skin
100 g of chopped wild fennel (best substitute would be fresh dill )
6-10 fennel seeds
500 gr of Blanched & chopped Piccadilly tomatoes (you can use Campari Tomatoes or Roma)
Preparing the pasta
On a clean surface add all the flour and add the pinch of salt . With your hands create a hole in the middle .
in the hole gently add the water and with your hand slow mix the flour into water . continue adding the water , until you get a nice firm dough. kneed the dough together , stretching it for about 10 minutes
now cover the dough and let it rest for minimum an hour .
Once the pasta has rested , we can start making the maccheroni .
Cut small pieces of the pasta dough and place the skewer on top .
The trick, so to speak, is to apply enough pressure on the piece of dough so that it flattens and spreads around the ferro as you roll it, but not so much as to make it stick to the ferro. At the end of the process, you want to be able to slide the maccheroni from the ferro without misshaping it (if that happens, you can always re-roll the dough and try again).
It helps to flour the skewer often. I have two of them at hand: while I am using one, the other is inside the flour bag. When the first one becomes a bit sticky, I put it in the flour and take up the other.
Cook the maccheroni in salted boiling water for around 8 – 10 minutes
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Preparing the pasta Sauce
In a frying pan add a large lug of olive oil , add the onions and large handful of basil,
add the sausage meat , wild fennel leaves , and tomatoes.
Let stew and taste to season.
Once you have drained your pasta , add to the pan of sauce and gently amalgamate together with a large handful of fresh basil leaves and parmesan.
Involtini di chicken –
400 g of sliced hammered down chicken
1 lemon grated zest
300 g of Fresh breadcrumbs
Parsley finely chopped-basil finely chopped ( You can use any herbs you wish )
salt and pepper
100 g of Parmesan cheese grated
Mix the breadcrumbs with the herbs and parmesan.
Place a layer of the chicken and add the oil , salt and a bit of the grated zest. Continue to do this for each layer .
Take one piece of your chicken layer and roll into the breadcrumb mixture , covering each side , rolling it tightly making sure there is a bit of breadcrumbs in the middle and give a final gentle squeeze .
Put each involtino on the wooden skewer , max 4-5 pieces per skewer.
you can pan fry / oven or barbecue grill .
In the oven at 18’°c for 10 min each side.