Sicilian Caponata

When it rains it pours.  Literally.  Right into our master bedroom closet. 💧We've known that our roof was in bad shape for quite a while now but honestly, we've been trying to ignore the not-so-great looking patch repair jobs and hoping that our HOA would also turn a blind eye to the mismatched shingles covering the giant holes in our roof.  We've even tried praying for hail to come and finish it off so that our insurance company could help with some of the cost of replacing the roof.  🤣

Well, after this latest leak, we were forced to deal with our roof problem head on.  It was either that or start wearing wet clothes everyday.  As much as we hated to spend the money, we bit the bullet and shelled out the cash to replace our roof.  (At least this major home expense is above ground so that we can actually SEE where our money went. 💩)  

So while I wallow in self pity over our money pit of a house, I will console myself with my favorite foods.  I'm not sure why the consumption of decadent food makes me feel better about spending money on costly home repairs but somehow it does.  Maybe I feel like I'm actually SAVING money that we would otherwise be spending on restaurant meals.  OR maybe food has always been my way of comforting myself.   (Phycologists would have field day with me!  🤣)

​I made this Sicilian Caponata to serve alongside some grilled chicken breasts.  It was super easy to put together while the chicken cooked on the grill.  I also prefer this stovetop method to roasting vegetables because I didn't have to heat up the house by turning my oven on in the middle of summer which is how I normally roast my vegetables.  I think this Caponata is going to be a side dish that I make a LOT this summer.  

Sicilian Caponata
6 Tablespoons oil
1 eggplant, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
​1/4 cup fresh basil

Heat 4 T. oil in skillet.  Add eggplant and 1 t. salt.  Cover and cook 15 minutes. 

Transfer eggplant to a bowl.  

Heat 1 T. oil in skillet.  Add zucchini and 1/4 t. salt.  Cover and cook 5 minutes. 

Transfer zucchini to bowl with eggplant. 

Heat 1 T. oil in skillet.  Add onion, bell pepper and 1/4 t. salt.  Cover and cook 7 minutes. 

Add vinegar, sugar and tomato paste.  Cook and stir until 1-2 minutes until thickened. 

Add to bowl with zucchini and eggplant. 

Season with salt, pepper and additional sugar. 

Stir in basil just before serving. 

The good news is that our new roof is on and it looks amazing.  The bad news is that the forklift driver that was delivering our shingles, knocked out irrigation system by driving over the power box.  🤦🏻‍♀️ Oh well, it's time to move on to our next repair job anyway.  💁🏻‍♀️

​Ciao!

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