Apple Caponata
This recipe comes from the Duchess of Palma di Montechiaro, Duchess Nicoletta Polo Lanza. She grew up in Venice; all the women in her family were interested in food and cooking. Her mother was Venetian, her grandmother Tuscan. She immersed herself in “Profumi di Sicilia” by Giuseppe Coria, a classic and encyclopedic Sicilian cookbook. Her cuisine is decidedly Sicilian, seasonal, influenced by her Venetian heritage as well as her travels. Everyone in Sicily makes caponata, sweet and sour eggplant, all year round but Nicoletta makes a winter version, when eggplant isn’t in season, substituting it with green apples.
Caponata di Mele
6 green, tart apples
1 ¼ cup (250g) green olives
1 cup (200g) capers
6 stalks (300g) celery
3 big red onions
2 cups (400g) chopped tomatoes
4 Tbsp apple vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp currants
2 Tbsp pine nuts
freshly ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Rinse the capers and gently pat them dry. Chop finely the onion; dice the celery; pit the olives. Sauté in oil the onion in a large saucepan (add a few spoonfuls of water to prevent burning). Add olives, capers and celery and a generous amount of pepper. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes; if it becomes too dry add a few spoonfuls of water. Add the tomatoes and cook another 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel, core and dice the apples and add them to the sauce. Cook, stirring often, until the apples change their color and become pink. Add vinegar and honey, raise the flame to let the vinegar evaporate. Off the heat, add pine nuts and currants, stir and let cool. Let the caponata rest for a few hours before serving.
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