Eggplant and Celery in Sweet-Sour Marinade (Caponata)

Ingredients

• 3 stalks celery
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 eggplants (ca. 500 g)
• 400 g Tomatoes
• 10 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• 2 tbsp green olives
• 0.5 bunch Basil
• 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp capers
• 2 tbsp pine nuts

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash and trim the celery, then slice finely. Peel the onions and garlic; halve the onions and cut into strips, finely chop the garlic. Wash the eggplants and slice thinly, then quarter them.

2. 2.

   Rinse the tomatoes with boiling water, let sit briefly, cool, peel, and dice.

3. 3.

   Heat olive oil gradually in a pot. Fry the eggplant portions until browned, remove. Sauté onions and garlic in remaining oil until translucent. Add eggplant, celery, and tomatoes; season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

4. 4.

   Meanwhile, halve olives as desired and pit if necessary. Tear basil leaves and add to the vegetables along with olives, vinegar, sugar, and capers. Cook for another 15 minutes until thickened.

5. 5.

   Toast pine nuts in a dry pan until golden brown. Let the caponata cool slightly before serving, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts.