St. Joseph's Day right around the corner

Ah...alas some current situations prevent me from doing a full St. Joseph's day celebration this year as I have before. But I'll still make some bread and food and have a prayerful weekend from the 17-19. What will I make, well...Caponata for one. Although not traditonal for all St. Joseph tables it is a nice lenten dish that I make all year round. The recipe I usually use is one modified from the book Cooking With the Saints.

I use more sauce, I like the taste and the look with a little extra sauce. But there are many ways to make caponata. Some include pine nuts some don't. Some have rasins, though I've never had it that way.

Here is a recipe from Italian food forever since I don't have mine on me right now:

3 Small Eggplants
2 Teaspoons Salt
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
3 Small Onions, Chopped (I only use one Onion and Add peppers, as below)
2 to 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Stalks Of Celery, Chopped
1 (28oz.) Can Chopped Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Olives, Green or Black, Chopped (I use both Green and Black)
1/4 Cup Capers
1/4 Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
1/4 Cup Wine Vinegar (I use Basalmic Vinegar instead)
Salt & Pepper

(I also Add one red, Yellow and green pepper, nice taste and very attractive.)

(I also add A tablespoon of brown sugar or Coco powder. Gives a nice touch of sweet)

To Serve:

Garlic Toast (I use any nice thick bread)

Peel the eggplants, and cut into 1 inch pieces. Put in a colander, sprinkle with the salt and leave 30 minutes. In a large pan, add a few tablespoons of the oil, and when hot add the onions, and cook until soft. Add the celery and garlic, (At this point I add the sliced up peppers If I'm using them) and cook 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook an additional 10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick.

Rinse the salt from the eggplant and pat dry. Add the rest of the oil into a frying pan and once it is hot, add the diced eggplant. Cook until the eggplant is tender and turning golden brown. Add the eggplant to the tomato mixture with the rest of the ingredients, and cook on low for another 15 minutes. Check the seasonings and let come to room temperature before serving.


All in all a nice dish. The picture above is from a St. Joseph's day in New York. That is all bread in front of the table.