I’ve been craving warm salads lately and I thought about making a popular traditional Russian/Ukranian dish called Eggplant caviar (balaganskii ikra). This traditional dish is made from eggplant, pepper, carrots, garlic, etc. However, since I am allergic to peppers - I had to improvise and I decided to make an Italian dish instead! This turned out to be a really delicious meal. I had it for lunch and dinner! It’s traditionally served with a crostini as an appetizer, but it turned out to be a great addition as a side dish.

Here’s what you will need:

1 Eggplant (look for a shiny one, that’s not too soft!)
1/2 white or yellow onion
4 garlic cloves
1 can of diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1/2 can of green and black olives - diced or whole (7 oz)
1/2 teaspoon of honey
1 cup of green beans (frozen or fresh!)
1 bunch of coriander
Salt, pepper and paprika

And now , we cook!

Wash the eggplant and cut it in cubes (slice vertically, and then into cubes). Spread it on a baking dish. Pepper it with salt, paprika, pepper and olive oil. Roast at 400F for 10 min and 375F for the remaining 5 minutes.
While the eggplant is roasting, let’s make our “mis en place” (a french term for prepping food and allocating it to dishes and bowls as needed). Dice up the 1/2 onion into small pieces, mince the 4 cloves of garlic, and put them together in a small bowl. Open the can of tomatoes, and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of honey. Taste it - make sure it’s a tad sweet and not too acidic. Check on the eggplant in the oven - take it out if ready.
Sautee onions and garlic on skillet at high heat for a few minutes until translucent. This should take 3-4 minutes depending on your stove. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
Add in 1 can of tomatoes, stir and bring it to boil. Once it hit the boiling point, lower the heat to medium and continue stirring as the tomatoes cook.
After 5 minutes, add the tray of eggplant to the dish and continue to stir for 3 minutes on medium heat.
Add in 1/2 can of olives, followed by capers. Sautee for a few minutes on medium heat. Add more water as needed.
Add in the green beans and top it off with coriander. Sautee and stir for a 3 min until green beans are cooked through.
Dish is ready. Feel free to serve it with a slice of crostini or as a side dish to your favorite meal!

Sicilian Caponata