Sicilian style baked vegetables

August 02, 2022

The first time I took a plane I was 9 and it was to go to Sicily with my aunt, to visit a dear friend of hers, Tina di Furci Siculo. I remember perfectly how all this was an adventure for "grownups", while all in all I experienced it as a small variation on normality: flying.
When I arrived in Sicily I was welcomed with a soft and juicy pasta alla Norma, with really hard spaghetti on my palate, accustomed as I was to pasta that cooked at least 5 minutes longer than the recommended time in the package, to the delight of our tense bellies. thesis (luckily habits change!).
Or the bread baked at midnight which, still steaming, was given to me as a gift with a generous drizzle of oil when I couldn't sleep. Almond milk in Taormina and Sicilian-style vegetables with lots of oregano and a touch of wine vinegar.
I don't know if this recipe really exists in the Sicilian culinary tradition and I must say that at a first search I didn't find much of it. Of caponata yes, there are many variations, but I have not yet come across versions similar to these baked vegetables.
The original recipe is based on Sicilian eggplants (small and long) and coarsely chopped red onions. To this I only added a couple of carrots because I love colorful summer dishes.

Method

Wash and clean the aubergines, carrots and onions. Cut them into chunks. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C in fan mode. Arrange the vegetables in a baking tray covered with parchment paper and season with extra virgin olive oil, salted capers that you have previously rinsed, pepper and plenty of oregano (be generous!).
Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven, blend with the vinegar, mix the vegetables and bake them again for another 10 'and then let them cool. Transfer them to a bowl where you will season them with more oregano, basil and, if needed, season them with salt and pepper.
Serve them cold or at room temperature, as an appetizer together with sauces such as hummus and toasted bread or bruschetta.
Preparation time about 1 hour
Recipe: Sicilian style baked vegetables
Recipe: Sicilian style baked vegetables - 1

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