This recipe was inspired by our Patrick's love for all things Italian. Caponata is a classic Sicilian aubergine dish bursting with 'agrodolce' flavours - that's the Italian word for sweet and sour! But Patrick can't resist experimenting in the kitchen and has included some sausage in his caponata. Sicilians are notoriously protective of their recipes, so let's make sure it stays our delicious little secret, OK?
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
1
Bell Pepper
144
Penne Pasta
2
White Wine Vinegar
1
Chopped Tomatoes
225
Pork Sausage Meat
(Contains Sulphites, Cereals containing gluten May contain Celery, Soya, Nuts, Fish, Milk, Egg, Mustard)
1
Aubergine
(May contain Celery)
2
Garlic Clove
15
Olives
20
Parmesan Cheese
1
Red Onion
100
Water
Preheat your oven to 220°C and put a large saucepan of water with a pinch of salt on to boil for the pasta. Halve the aubergine lengthways, cut into 2cm wide strips, then chop into 2cm cubes. Halve, peel and chop the red onion into roughly ½cm pieces. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Halve, then remove the core from the red pepper and cut into 1cm slices.
Spread the aubergine and pepper out on a lined baking tray. Drizzle over some oil and season with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Pop on the top shelf of your oven. Roast until soft and a little crispy around the edges, about 20 mins
Heat a glug of oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the sausage meat to your pan. Break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until slightly browned, 5 mins. Then add the white wine vinegar and cook until almost evaporated.
Pour the diced tomatoes into your pan along with the water (see ingredients for amount). Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar (if you have some). Leave to simmer and thicken, 10-15 mins.
Meanwhile, add the penne to your pan of boiling water. Cook until 'al dente', about 6 mins. TIP:'Al dente' simply means the pasta is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle. When cooked, drain in a colander, return to the pan off the heat and drizzle over a little oil to stop it from sticking.
Once the aubergine and pepper are ready, remove from your oven and stir into the tomato sauce along with the olives. We like to leave our olives whole for texture but chop them up if you'd like them to blend in, or leave out altogether if you're not a fan! Stir the pasta into the caponata and serve in big bowls. For a dairy free option enjoy now, if you fancy a little extra grate over the parmesan cheese. Buon appetito!