SERVES 4
This is a great sandwich for a picnic, as caponata is always better served at room temperature. The ingredients remind me of the best panini I’ve ever had. On a small side street in Marsala, Sicily, I ordered a spicy eggplant and fresh mozzarella panini from a roadside caravan. It was incredible! If you’re not planning on hitting the road with this sandwich, I highly recommend pressing it and serving it warm.
INGREDIENTS
1 baguette
6 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
1½ cups Sicilian Caponata (recipe follows)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Slice the baguette in half lengthwise. Arrange the sliced mozzarella along the length of the bottom half of the baguette. Top with the caponata and basil. Drizzle with a little oil. Set the top half of the baguette in place and slice the sandwich into four portions. Wrap each portion tightly in parchment paper, securing it with a piece of tape. The sandwiches may be kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.
MAKES 4 CUPS
A few years ago, I spent a month traveling around Sicily. Nearly every restaurant on the island begins each meal with caponata. I immediately fell in love with the play of sweet and sour in this versatile condiment. To me, it is Sicily in one bite with the capers from the neighboring island, the fennel that grows wild, and the eggplant, which seems to be rolling off of every rickety farm truck that goes sputtering by.
INGREDIENTS
½ cup olive oil
1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch dice
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 small red onion, diced
½ fennel bulb, diced
5 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup golden raisins
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ cinnamon stick
1½ teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
Heat the oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant and cook until it becomes golden and tender. Add the celery, onion, fennel, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the raisins, red pepper flakes, cinnamon stick, and rosemary and cook another 2 minutes, stirring often.
In a bowl, whisk together the water, vinegar, tomato paste, capers, sugar, and salt and pour over the eggplant mixture. Lower the heat and let the liquid reduce by half; you want the caponata to be saucy, but not soupy. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before serving.
Or, refrigerate, covered for up to three days, until ready to serve. The caponata, however, is best served at room temperature and tastes even better the next day.
It’s easy to explore Nantucket by bicycle—because it’s so small (only fourteen miles from end to end), and because there is not a lot of traffic on the roads and most cars are going only twenty miles an hour, and because there are more than thirty miles of beautifully maintained bike paths. Getting around the island by bike is a sure way to immerse yourself in its magical beauty. Explore the back roads, head to a farmers’ market, or use a bike path to discover a beach or visit a museum. Downtown can be crowded during the height of summer but you can easily walk along with your bike, window-shopping, and when the right items beckon, leave your bike outside without worry.
The island caters to discerning tastes, which is reflected even at bicycle rental businesses. At Nantucket Bike Shop on Straight Wharf and Broad Street (a short walk from the ferries), for example, where you can rent a bicycle for an hour, a day, or a week, your choices will include the latest in trail, all-terrain, and hybrid bikes for adults and children, as well as tandem bikes and vintage bikes. And, because this is Nantucket, your bike will come with a handy wicker basket to hold your picnic or your purchases.
A long stay would be required to see all there is to see on the island by bicycle but here are three bike path routes we think you’ll want to check out:
• The Hummock Pond loop starts just east of where Cliffs Road intersects with Madaket Road and gives you a scenic six-mile ride with lots of views of the ocean.
• The Barnard Valley Road path gives you a view of the “inland” part of the island. Starting at the intersection of Hoicks Hollow and Polpis Roads, you’ll find parts of this three-mile ride quite steep. Worth it, though, to make your way across the moors to Alter Rock, the highest point on Nantucket, with fabulous views in every direction.
• The Polpis Road route winds along marshes, ponds, and the island’s cranberry bogs. Lots of good bird-watching opportunities on the route, and the Lifesaving Museum, which is also on this road, is worth a visit.