Dried Tomato Caponata

• eggplant↗1 lb

  cut into 3/4 inch cubes

• garlic↗2

  in their skins, pierced once

• pine nuts↗2 tablespoons

  toasted

• celery↗1⁄2 cup

  finely chopped

• fresh parsley↗1⁄2 cup

  preferably flat leaf, chopped

• capers↗2 tablespoons

  drained and rinsed

• raisins↗2 tablespoons

  roughly chopped

• kalamata olives or other oil-cured olives↗2 tablespoons

  of choice, pitted and chopped

• fresh thyme↗2 teaspoons
• balsamic vinegar↗2 teaspoons
• fresh lemon juice↗2 teaspoons
• sugar↗1

  pinch

• red pepper flakes↗1⁄4 teaspoon

  optional

• Oven-Dried Tomatoes↗
• olive oil↗1 teaspoon
• plum tomatoes, cored,halved and seeded (4 lbs)↗32
• teaspoon salt↗1

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the broiler.

2. 2

   On a baking sheet, toss eggplant and garlic cloves with oil and salt and broil for about 4 minutes.

3. 3

   Remove garlic and set aside to cool.

4. 4

   Toss and stir eggplant, and continue to cook an additional 4 minutes until browned and tender.

5. 5

   Transfer eggplant to a plate and let cool.

6. 6

   Meanwhile, chop oven-dried tomatoes coarsely and place in a medium bowl along with the pine nuts, parsley, celery, capers, raisins, olives, thyme, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, red pepper flakes if using.

7. 7

   Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

8. 8

   Simply toss for a loose mixture, or mix well to bind the mixture together.

9. 9

   Serve spread on crusty bread Oven-Dried Tomatoes.

10. 10

    Preheat oven to 200F Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, remove seeds.

11. 11

    Slice off visible stems if desired.

12. 12

    On a baking sheet, toss tomatoes with oil and salt and arrange cut sides up.

13. 13

    Place in the oven for 4-5 hours, or until visible moisture has evaporated and tomatoes are shriveled but still soft and pliable.

14. 14

    Let cool and store in an airtight container up to 1 week.