• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Top Recipes
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • 6 Ingredient Meals
    • Slow Cooker Meals
    • One Pan Meals
    • By Course
      • Main Course
      • Side Dish
      • Dessert
      • Appetizer/Snack
      • More
    • By Diet
      • Gluten-free
      • Low-carb
      • Vegetarian
      • More
    • By Meat
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Egg
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Turkey
      • More
    • By Cuisine
      • Cajun and Creole
      • Chinese
      • Greek
      • Italian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Mexican
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • More
    • By Type
      • Burger
      • Cake
      • Cookie
      • Dip
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Salad
      • Sandwich
      • Soup
      • More
    • By Ingredient
      • Avocado
      • Bacon
      • Cauliflower
      • Mushroom
      • Pumpkin
      • Quinoa
      • Shrimp
      • Strawberry
      • More
  • Cookbooks
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the email Newsletter!

Caponata

[heart_this] · Sep 18, 2007 · 9 Comments

Caponata on Penne

Not too long ago I came across this recipe for Caponata which was really interesting. The use of cocoa powder in a savory dish that also contained my favorite eggplant propelled this recipe to the top of my to try list. I had never had caopnata before. From what I understand it is usually eaten as an appetizer. I used the caponata in several main course types of meals.
I decided to broil the eggplant and cut back on the amount of oil. I didn’t think that there was enough marinara sauce so I increased the amount of it in the recipe. The cocoa powder did not really play a prominent role in the caponata. Combined with the cinnamon, sugar and raisins the cocoa powder created a nice sweetness that did not overwhelm the other aspects of the dish. Of course the cinnamon gave the dish a great aroma. The balsamic vinegar added a nice tartness and the tomato sauce added great savoriness. The heat provided by the red pepper flakes were a really nice addition. Mint once again proves its versatility by complimenting the dish with a nice freshness. I enjoyed the caponata leftovers in a variety of ways.

Caponata

Caponata

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Servings: 2
ingredients
  • 2 medium eggplant (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 3 tablespoons raisins
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 5 leaves mint (chopped, for garnish)
directions
  1. Broil the eggplant in the oven until golden brown on both sides, about 7 minutes per side.
  2. Heat the oil in a large pan.
  3. Add the onion, pine nuts, raisins and red pepper flakes and saute until the onions are translucent.
  4. Add the eggplant, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa and cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the thyme, marinara sauce and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil.
  6. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  7. Serve over cooked pasta or gluten free pasta and enjoy!
Similar Recipes:
Roasted Eggplant Pasta

Take a look at the Presto Pasta Nights roundup at Once Upon a Feast.

Food, Gluten-free, Italian, Main Course, Pasta, Recipe, Vegetarian

eCookbook Bundle Cover

Get ALL 16 Closet Cooking eCookbooks in a bundle for 70% off! Enjoy some of the tastiest recipes from Closet Cooking along with exclusive cookbook recipes!

Get the Cookbook Bundle Now!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. zlamushka says

    September 18, 2007 at 6:49 am

    You add cocoa powder to a savory dish ? Wow, that is somethign new… I mean why not, i ll give it a try 🙂

    Reply
  2. Cara says

    September 18, 2007 at 12:36 pm

    Hey Kevin, I’m glad to see someone else make and enjoy the caponata. My friend Vanessa has been enjoying it as well; she added it to sauteed ground lamb and served with pasta and said it was delicious. It’s certainly quite versatile!

    Reply
  3. Valli says

    September 18, 2007 at 2:55 pm

    Very creative dishes Kevin. You always come up with such interesting and tasty meals so I am not surprised!!!

    Reply
  4. Aimée says

    September 18, 2007 at 3:28 pm

    What an exciting and original dish! It looks like perfect fall food.

    Reply
  5. Janet says

    September 18, 2007 at 9:18 pm

    I’ve never had caponate either, in fact before I read this post, I’m not sure I knew what it was (although I’ve heard of it)

    Reply
  6. Coffee & Vanilla says

    September 18, 2007 at 9:24 pm

    Wow, eggplant, cocoa, cinnamon and pine nuts! I love all those things, it must taste wonderful… I’m going to save link to this page and try it some time soon.
    Thank you for sharing!
    Greetings, Margot

    Reply
  7. sher says

    September 19, 2007 at 7:19 am

    Keep going, girl! I loved seeing all those different ways to use the caponata. Yum!!!!

    Reply
  8. sher says

    September 19, 2007 at 7:22 am

    Well, never start leaving comments when it’s after midnight and you’re sleepy. I meant to say–You go Kev. Oh well, I better go to bed!!!

    Reply
  9. Ruth Daniels says

    September 21, 2007 at 12:02 am

    I couldn’t agree more with everyone else. Awesome dish – no surprise there! Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Night.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the free Closet Cooking email newsletter and get a FREE copy of the eBook:
The Best of Closet Cooking!

About Me

Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
Read More

The Best of Closet Cooking 2023 – FREE eCookbook

The Best of Closet Cooking Book Cover

eCookbook Bundle

eCookbook Bundle

Top Recipes

Chicken and Avocado Burritos
Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
Mexican Street Corn Nachos
Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushroom Skewers
Baked Firecracker Chicken
Caprese Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Balsamic Soy Roasted Garlic Mushrooms
Cheesy Beef Enchilada Tortellini Skillet
Parmesan Roasted Carrot Fries
Asiago Roasted Onions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
About | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Copyright © 2007-2023, Closet Cooking Ltd. All Rights Reserved.