Roasted Veggie Caponata

Caponata is a Sicilian dish that’s old enough and it’s history murky enough that I can call this dish Caponata too. Most recipes and histories of the dish agree on eggplants and capers being included in the relish. And that’s where I started. Lots of eggplants. Then I balanced it out with lots of other veggies and finished with some capers. I often serve this at a cocktail party next to some good baguette. It looks beautiful and offers an easy way to eat some veggies instead of just cheese and dessert. I always make it in large quantities as the leftovers offers endless leftover possibilities. Such as the “sauce” element in my Parmesan Chicken Quinoa Bowl.

1 yellow pepper; diced
1 bulb of fennel; diced
2 medium or 1 large eggplant; diced
1 yellow squash; diced
2 green zucchini; diced
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup capers
1 tablespoon brine from capers

Preheat oven to 400. Toss eggplant, fennel and yellow pepper in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes. Add the diced squash and zucchini. Roast an additional 20 minutes. The veggies should be very soft, but still hold their shape. Serve room temperature and mix the capers into the salad at the end.

Improvisation: Feel free to experiment with lots of veggies, but think about how long each variety should roast. The soft squash are a soupy mess if roasted for the full 50 minutes, but fennel and eggplant don’t acquire a soft texture and rich caramelized flavor if they don’t get the full 50.