Let Your Kids Be – Eggplant Caponata

When I was a five- or six-year-old kid, my father occasionally took my two older brothers and I to the Palestra, the arena that opened in 1927 at the University of Pennsylvania, to see Big 5 college basketball games. We would wander in, find our seats, and eat the dinner we brought, while our father conversed with colleagues from LaSalle College (now University), where he worked.

The fun started when the game commenced. I didn’t care for a minute about the actual contest, but when each team scored their first basket hundreds of paper streamers made a perfect arc as they were hurled from the crowd onto the court, halting the match just after it started until they could be cleaned up. It was a thrilling spectacle. That’s when my brothers and I got to work.

As the actual game had no significance whatsoever in our eyes (well, my oldest brother Lee probably cared a bit), we focused on the streamers. We would run down to the court and search under the stands to pick up the discharged ribbons of crepe paper. Of course, we only salvaged those in blue and gold, the colors of the LaSalle Explorers. We would carefully untangle and roll the streamers back up (avoiding the ones soaked in soda…maybe beer) ready for reuse, perhaps at the next basket or maybe a future game. We probably handed them out to the crowd, and I’m sure our father approved of the idea because we were recycling, but more importantly, it kept us occupied rather than pestering him the whole time.

In addition to the streamers, these college basketball nights were exciting because they were some of the relatively rare events when we got to eat hoagies. We always brought the sandwiches, stuffed with Italian meats and cheeses, lettuce, tomato, and onion, and topped with a vinaigrette (and now hot peppers), to the games for dinner. I always ordered mine without tomato, a food I would never eat as a kid. But when I was inevitably handed one containing the polluting fruit – its bright red color made it obvious – I had to dissect the sandwich, extracting the revolting wet slices.

Like most kids, there were lots of food items on my “won’t eat” list. These foods were an affront to my senses, despite probably never trying them. Most kids have foods they won’t touch, but the offending item may not be the same for all children (and there are always a few good eaters who eat everything). It may be the taste or perhaps color that turns a child off, and the texture of certain foods may also make them undesirable.

As a child, I would never let tomatoes or mushrooms pass through my lips. Fish was another forbidden item, but there’s a real reason for that, having to do with my mother, the type of fish cooked, and her technique. Eggplant was high on the no-go list; sometimes bitter, and always mushy. Why do you think people slice it thin, bread and fry it, then hide it under the red sauce and melty cheese of a parmigiana?

Luckily, our pickiness often changes as we age and mature. We may be placed in a position in which we are forced to try the foods we’ve avoided, with the discovery that they are not so bad. And over time, we may actually grow to like them. I once almost had a panic attack when a college friend’s parents served flounder for dinner. It was surprisingly tasty, and I now enjoy many types of fish, as long as they are neither too fishy nor broiled, both of which stink up the whole house. I also now love tomatoes and mushrooms; I have my wife to thank for that.

The lesson is to let your kids be. If they won’t eat certain foods now, they may in the future. As long as they’re not starving and you keep offering a variety from which they can choose, they’ll be fine. Just lay a solid foundation. And if they would rather pick up streamers under the stands than watch the basketball game, that’s okay too.

Eggplant Caponata

While I have learned to enjoy many foods I distasted as a child, I still have a rocky relationship with eggplant. I’ll eat it breaded and fried without complaint if served to me, and sometimes I slice it thin and grill it until almost crispy. But if given a choice, I more often than not avoid it altogether. One way I have learned to deal with eggplant is to hide it, which is done beautifully in this eggplant caponata.

Because it is mushy, reddish-brown, and not particularly attractive (I’m really selling it), eggplant caponata is not often at the top of the list of dishes little kids request for dinner. But the eggplant is hidden (especially if cut small enough) among the salty, tangy, and sweet flavors of the Sicilian vegetable relish. It is especially delicious topping crostini as part of an antipasto platter.

There are numerous variations on caponata, some including carrots, raisins, nuts, and eggs, which I leave out. Unlike some recipes, I add red pepper, two kinds of olives (rather than one), and a pinch of hot pepper flakes, all of which make it more exciting, while helping to hide the eggplant. Feel free to modify this recipe by leaving some ingredients out, adding others in, or cutting the eggplant into larger chunks if you want them to be front and center. No matter how you make it, your eggplant caponata will be delicious, and your kids probably won’t eat it anyway.

1 hour, makes about 1 quart

1 medium eggplant, partially peeled leaving behind 1-inch stripes of skin, cut in ½-inch cubes

2 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1½ medium onions, cut in medium dice

1 – 2 ribs celery, cut in small dice

½ of a red pepper, cut in medium dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1½ Tbsp. capers, drained

¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

¼ cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and roughly chopped

¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

fresh basil or parsley for garnish

1. Place diced eggplant in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Allow to sit for a half hour, then rinse, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet and fry eggplant until just browned on all sides. Remove from oil and set aside in a clean bowl. Brown eggplant in two batches if needed to leave room between pieces. (If crowded it will steam and not brown.)
2. While eggplant is cooking, place red wine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer on low until reduced by half, stirring to dissolve sugar. Set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottom pot such as a Dutch oven. Add diced onions, celery, and red pepper and sauté for a few minutes until just starting to soften. Add minced garlic and tomato paste, stirring for a minute or two to make sure the garlic does not burn. Place drained diced tomatoes in the pot and stir to release any stuck brown bits from the bottom. Add reserved eggplant, as well as capers, olives, remaining salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and turn heat to medium-low.
4. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn, until vegetables are soft, and you have a thick, chunky sauce, perhaps an additional 10 minutes. Add in vinegar and sugar mixture and cook for another few minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with meats or fish, over pasta, or on crostini, garnished with fresh basil or parsley. Caponata is best the day after it is made so flavors have a chance to meld. Store in clean glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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