Serves
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Caponata:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced in 1/4" pieces
1 celery stalk, diced into 1/4" pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 anchovy filets or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 red bell pepper, diced into 1/2” pieces
1 large eggplant (about 1 pound), diced into 1/2" pieces
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can good quality Italian crushed or diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked in hot water and drained
1/2 cup Italian or Greek black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
1 large baguette or rustic loaf, cut into 12 (1” thick) diagonal slices
Olive oil, for brushing bread and garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, halved for rubbing bread
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved
Procedure
To a large skillet or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, add oil. When oil is shimmering, add onions and celery and sauté until golden brown around the edges. Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, anchovies, bell pepper and eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is completely cooked and almost falling apart, about 10 minutes. (Eggplant is insatiable when it comes to oil, so don't feed it. If the eggplant sticks too much, add a spoonful of water to loosen it.) Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, partially covered, until the tomatoes are reduced and darkened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, capers, raisins and olives. Simmer uncovered until thickened, about 10 minutes; taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer caponata to a bowl and set aside, uncovered, to cool to room temperature.
Preheat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Using a silicone pastry brush, lightly coat the sliced bread with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill each slice of bread until lightly charred around the edges and well-marked, about 4 minutes. Rub the warm bread slices with the cut side of the garlic cloves.
Top each slice of grilled bread with a heaping tablespoon of caponata, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with toasted pine nuts, basil and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.
