Grilled Caponata Salad

I love Caponata! I usually make one of Rachael Ray's recipes. The recipe is for a pasta bake but I never make the pasta. I just make the Caponata. It is delicious with grilled chicken or as a snack. I love the sweet and sour flavor combination of the olives and raisins. It goes so well with eggplant and tomatoes. This week I decided to try making it on the grill. I used the large eggplant I got at Ed Lester Farms. I wanted to serve it as a pretty plated salad so I made a dressing too. I saw on the Chew that ketchup makes a great emulsifier for salad dressings. I knew that would be perfect for this salad, it would boost both the tomato flavor and the sweetness of the salad. It works really well. The dressing was thick and did not separate for hours and hours. I grilled the eggplant in large planks to serve as the bed of the salad. I used grapes instead of raisins. This may be my favorite part. I love the sweet grilled grapes with the olives and capers. I also used celery leaves instead of grilling celery. It adds a freshness at the end with the parsley. It was a delicious and beautiful salad. I can't wait to try it out as a starter for guests. It was so much faster than sauteing all the veggies in a pot. This salad would work well as a stacked salad too. You could slice the eggplant into rounds putting a layer of veggies between the grilled rounds. Or just chop the eggplant and mix with all the other ingredients and serve as a chopped salad. I have to admit the salad is not as pretty after it has been refrigerated but it still taste delicious. I suggest setting any leftover on the counter to bring to room temperature. I liked it better that way. I hope you will try it. This salad is definitely not boring each fork full is interesting in it's own way.

Grilled Caponata Salad

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, sliced into 8 - 1/2” planks

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut in half

1 Anaheim pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut in half

1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced in 1/2” rounds

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 bunch red grapes on the stem

Olive oil

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

1/2 cup green olives, sliced

1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced

2 Tbsp capers

1/3 cup celery leaves, chopped

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup Caponata Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat (10 min).

Rub eggplant, pepper halves, onion, tomatoes and grapes with olive oil. Season eggplant, pepper halves, onion and tomatoes with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Place tomatoes on skewers. Place everything on the grill, grill about 5 minutes a side until tender. Remove each vegetable to a platter when they are done. Remove grapes from stem and tomatoes from skewers add to a medium bowl. Chop peppers and onions add to tomatoes and grapes. Add olives, capers, celery leaves, parsley and vinaigrette, stir to combine. To serve, place a slice of eggplant in the center of a salad plate. Drizzle with a little of the vinaigrette and top with a couple of heaping spoons of the vegetable mixture. Garnish with more celery and parsley leaves.

Caponata Vinaigrette

Makes approx. 1/2 cup

Ingredients

3 oz olive oil

1 oz Balsamic vinegar

1 anchovy, mashed into a paste

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp honey

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 tsp parsley, chopped

1 tsp basil, chopped

1/2 tsp oregano, chopped

Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Mix vinaigrette ingredients in a small mason jar. Secure with lid and shake until emulsified. Store remaining dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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