REFUGEE RESPONSE / CLEVELAND
I have eaten many eggplant Parmigiana over the years in New Jersey and in Little Italy, but this caponata variation is easier, lighter, more delicious, and just plain less messy to make. Unused caponata becomes tomorrow’s lunch or tonight’s antipasto in a flash.
SERVES 4
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 large Spanish onion, cut into ½-inch dice
2 ribs celery, cut into thin ¼-inch slices
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 medium eggplant, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
Kosher salt
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
¼ cup dried currants
¼ cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup water
1 baguette, cut into 4 pieces, split open to stuff
¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
¼ pound provolone, grated
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add the garlic, onion, celery, thyme, eggplant, and a couple of pinches of salt. Stir together, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the eggplant turns golden. If it looks a little dry, add 1 tablespoon of oil.
Add the tomato paste, currants, pine nuts, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and red pepper flakes and continue to cook for 3 minutes more.
Add the vinegar and allow it to evaporate. Add the sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and water and cook for 5 minutes more, then remove from the heat.
Place the baguette pieces in the oven to toast until golden. Remove and stuff each baguette piece with about ½ cup of the caponata and top with Pecorino Romano and provolone. Place the stuffed bread on a baking sheet and return it to the oven. Bake until the cheese is nicely melted. Remove and serve immediately.