Grilled Spicy Caponata over Crostini

Serving Size

8

Ingredients

1 medium Italian eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 large white sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium red bell pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups crushed tomatoes, drained of liquid, San Marzano the best if available
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 kalamata Greek olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbls chopped basil
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs small capers
1 loaf of Italian or French crusty bread or ciabatta loaf, cut into 1/4 inch slices, brushed with olive oil and grilled on grill until golden
Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Brush all the eggplant and onion with olive oil and grill over medium heat. Make sure you do the both sides until golden, about 10 minutes or so. Transfer to a cutting board. Grill the red bell pepper until it is charred, or hold over a flame with a fork, about 10 minutes and transfer to a small bowl to cool. Chop the cooked eggplant and onion slices in a fine cut and put into a medium bowl. Peel the charred skin from the red bell pepper, core and seed it, and chop that finely also. Add it to the eggplant and onion mixture. Add the crushed tomatoes, without the juice, red pepper flakes, minced garlic, kalamata olives, currants, parsley, basil, balsamic, capers, and salt and pepper and mix all together well. In a skillet with a little olive oil, cook all for about 10 minutes over medium heat to thicken. Allow to cool to room temperature, or chill and serve cold over grilled Italian bread.