Caponata is one of Sicily’s many culinary gifts to the world and I recently discovered that it is a simple, elegant and delicious way to use the summer vegetables coming out of my ears right about now.

Lots of onions, garlic, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes sauteed in olive oil served alongside a baguette is all it takes to turn overly-enthusiastic summer vegetable buying or growing into a chic appetizer. It can also be a tasty filling for an omelette or a sandwich spread.

You can sub out any vegetables you like or even add fancy stuff like capers or olives, just try to cut all the vegetables roughly to the same size so they cook evenly. The flavor of the commingled vegetables are the stars here, not herbs, although you could add some fresh herbs if you like.

Caponata  lasts for days in the fridge and is best served at room temperature. See the cute perfect circles of eggplant poking out of my dish? I insisted on leaving the skins on for the look, but found them a bit bitter, so I added a good amount of sugar to my caponata.

Fry the eggplant first, peeled if you like to ensure less bitterness, then taste to see how much sugar you’ll need. the eggplant will absorb a significant amount of oil, so be prepared.

Here’s what I did:

Caponata

4 T. olive oil

1 1/2 c. chopped eggplant (peeled or not)

2/3 c. chopped fennel bulb

1 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped peppers ( any kind, spicy or not)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 c. chopped and seeded tomatoes with juices

1 T. to 1/4 c. sugar (to taste)

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, when it starts to shimmer, add eggplant and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally as it begins to brown.

Drain the eggplant and set aside, leaving as much oil as you can in the pot.

Add fennel onions, and peppers to the pot, cook another 10 minutes until they soften, then add garlic. Cook mixture about 2 more minutes before adding tomatoes, then add eggplant back in. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Cook another 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Let cool to room temperature and serve.

Serves about 8 as an appetizer.