Grilled Eggplant Caponata Salad

Eggplant simply absorbs the smoky goodness from the grill. This delicious salad of fresh tomatoes, sweet raisins, and briny capers, mixed with grilled onions, celery, and eggplant will become one of your go-to sides for almost any kind of meat, poultry, or oily-fleshed fish cooked over fire.

PREP: 25 minutes      GRILL: 8 to 10 minutes

MAKES: 14 side-dish servings

2 small red onions, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

2 small eggplants (1 to 1¼ pounds each), cut into -inch-thick slices

nonstick cooking spray

4 medium stalks celery

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

6 medium plum tomatoes (about 1½ pounds total), cut into ½-inch chunks

1 cup Kalamata, Gaeta, or green Sicilian olives, pitted and chopped

¼ cup golden raisins

3 tablespoons drained capers

½ cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves

1. Prepare outdoor grill for covered direct grilling over medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, if you like, for easier handling, insert metal skewers through onion slices. Lightly spray both sides of eggplant slices with cooking spray. Sprinkle onions, eggplants, and celery with salt.

3. Place onions, eggplants, and celery on hot grill rack. Cover grill and cook vegetables until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes, turning over once and transferring to plate as they are done. Cool slightly until easy to handle.

4. Cut eggplants and celery into -inch chunks; coarsely chop onions. In large bowl, mix vinegar, oil, sugar, and pepper until blended. Stir in tomatoes, olives, raisins, capers, and parsley. Add eggplant, onions, and celery, and gently toss to coat.

5. Serve salad at room temperature or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day to serve later.

EACH SERVING: About 75 calories, 1g protein, 11g carbohydrate, 3g total fat (1g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 240mg sodium