As my birthday approaches, I could not think of a more comforting meal than this crostini to bid farewell to a year that has been very good to me. Though this meal is rustic, it has an elegant and sophisticated profile, which is befitting for a birthday, don't you agree?
Happy Birthday to Me!!
As the late Leonard Nimoy said, or rather tweeted, “Life is like a garden, perfect moments can be had, but not preserved.” It is those few and scattered perfect moments that make life worthwhile, but not just our defining moments, or our grand triumphs, but rather our ‘simple’ pleasures that see us through our hardships.
While shopping at my local supermarket, it’s safe to say I was not expecting to find one of these precious moments. In fact, I almost put the key ingredient to that moment back on the shelf. What am I talking about? On-clearance yellow bell peppers, of course.
The peppers came packed by the dozen, and naturally I ended up with roughly a dozen of them, and no concrete idea for how I would be using them – all I knew was that I simply couldn’t pass up such fine specimens. As I roamed the supermarket, picking up the rest of my items, with space becoming an ever rarer commodity in my crowded cart, I began to doubt the wisdom in the peppers I had selected. After all, they were clearance produce, and would need to be used promptly lest I risk spoiling them.
Then I passed the bakery section, and the aroma of fresh bread entranced my senses. I stopped, and watched as one of the bakers lined the shelves with freshly packed loaves of ciabatta bread. Perfection. The equation from that moment on simply couldn’t have been easier. I now knew precisely how I was going to use the peppers – in a caponata.
Now, a traditional caponata is best described as something of a thick eggplant sauce, and typically served as a side dish to fish. However, I decided to do things a little bit differently, and prepared the sauce and eggplant separately. This would allow the peppers to play the star of the sauce, while also allowing me to dress up the eggplant into something truly special.
The peppers I prepared in a thick, almost salsa-like red sauce with garlic, red onion, and olives, and added in a jalapeno for just a hint of heat. The eggplant, meanwhile, marinated in a mix of lemon, oregano, and capers. Once the two halves of my caponata were prepared, I assembled them over generous slices of warmed ciabatta bread, and topped them with copious amounts of grating cheese and olive oil.
Serving the crostinis beside my bay-window overlooking our snow covered yard and iced canal, it was simply ‘perfection.’ Looking back, the only thing that could have possibly made the moment better was to have properly paired the caponata with a sturdy red wine. Live and learn, I suppose.
Roasted Peppers & Eggplant Crostini
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
Peppers:
- 5- 6 bell peppers (any color) - sliced
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. salt - for sprinkling on the pepper slices
- 2 - 3 tbs. olive oil - for drizzling over the peppers after they are charred
Sauce:
- 29 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 large garlic cloves - chopped
- 1 large red onion - sliced
- 1 jalapeño - chopped - with or without seeds
- 4 oz. of black olives - chopped
- 1 - 2 tbs. of capers - chopped - plus 2 tbs. of caper juice
- 1/4 cup of Italian parsley - chopped
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 3 tbs. olive oil
Marinade (for eggplant):
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbs. capers - chopped - plus 2 tbs. caper juice
- 1/4 cup of Italian parsley - chopped
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 3 - 4 tbs. olive oil
Crostini:
- Ciabatta bread - sliced
- Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese for grating
- Olive oil - for drizzling
- 1 clove of garlic - crushed
Instructions
Peppers:
- Heat a large cast iron griddle; place the pepper slices on the dry griddle to slightly char; do not overcrowd the griddle.
- Place the charred peppers in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Set the peppers aside while preparing the sauce.
Sauce:
- Heat a large cast iron frying pan with the olive oil; add the garlic, onion and jalapeño and sauté until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, capers, olives, parsley and seasonings to the sauce and simmer on a low heat for about 15 – 20 minutes. Add the peppers to the sauce and cover and turn off the heat.
- Let the sauce sit and cool before putting the sauce in a container to refrigerate and cool.
Eggplant & Marinade:
- Preheat Oven 350 degrees.
- Place the sliced of eggplant on a baking sheet; drizzle with the Canola oil and sprinkle of salt.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until slightly golden.
- Let the slices cool.
- Combine all of the above ingredients in a bowl; add the eggplant and toss; cover and refrigerate.
Crostini:
- Preheat Oven 350 degrees.
- Slice the Ciabatta bread in 1/2 inch to 1 inch slices. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet.
- Rub each slice with the garlic and drizzle each slice with olive oil.
- Spoon the eggplant on each slice of Ciabatta, top with the peppers and grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Italian
Enjoy with Love,
Catherine
xo
claudia lamascolo says
delicious!
claudia lamascolo says
Have the happiest birthday dear lady this looks fabulous and have many more blessings in the years to come! XO HUGS
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
I love that you gave a shout to the late great Leonard Nimoy. And I am so happy to know that I am not alone in that when I see a deal, I have no problem buying more than I need without a clue to do with them. These are stunning and I'd love to nosh on a few.
Joanne T Ferguson says
G'day What a great post! Great photography!
Cheers! Joanne
Linda Nortje says
Love the marinating of the eggplant ! Looks delicious, Catherine !
sandie says
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Big Daddy Dave says
Catherine, The older we get the more appreciative I am for each and every birthday! I hope that yours is terrific... Your eggplant creation is very attractive... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Laurence says
You always post such lovely photographs! Those crostini sound delicious and very mediterranean. I hope you have a very happy birthday!
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Comedy Plus says
♪♪Happy Birthday to you,♪♪
♪♪Happy Birthday to you,♪♪
♪♪Happy Birthday Dear Catherine,♪♪
♪♪Happy Birthday to you.♪♪
What a wonderful lunch this would make.
Have a fabulous birthday my friend. ♥♥♥
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Ginny Hartzler says
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Mine is in three days. I love the Nimoy quote, and he is so right! Your talent for thinking up your own recipes is like that of a chef!
Chiara says
I wish you from the deep of my heart a very happy birthday with your family and friends,all the best for you my dear friend, a warm hug !
Nicole Neverman says
This sounds really delicious! I love the sound of roasted peppers and eggplant together.
Angela says
Oh my!!! This is one incredible sounding & looking recipe!!! Delicious!!! And, Happy Birthday!!!!
Amy (Savory Moments) says
Happy birthday! I hope you enjoy your day. Your crostini looks delicious and very elegant!
Chris @ The Café Sucré Farine says
Happy Birthday Catherine. Looks like you celebrated in style!
What's baking?? says
Look so yummy. Happy birthday Cat and wish you a better yr ahead!
Sheryl @Lady Behind The Curtain says
Looks delicious! Great recipe.
Dottie Sauchelli-Balin says
Dear Catherine,
Happy Birthday again, I hope that you enjoyed your day! This roasted peppers and eggplant looks amazing! I love the combination of all your ingredients and it is worthy of your birthday! I always look at the items on the sale rack. Some of the veggies are really in good shape. I hate to pass up a really good deal as well. Yummy and delicious! Great recipe..Have a blessed and wonderful weekend...Hope this was the last storm of the season....
Dottie 🙂
AnnMarie says
Happy Birthday to you dear Catherine! No you could not pass up clearance, nice looking peppers! And what a special treat for your day. I just love caponata and haven't made it in forever!
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All that's Jas says
I love caponata and this is a nice twist. Thanks for linking up at Thursday Favorite Things, please visit us again next week!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
Happy Birthday! This crostini looks amazing. Those yellow peppers were a great purchase!
Louise says
HI Catherine:)
I hope you had a glorious birthday filled with lots of memories because you sure did have the food covered, lol...Don't you just love the way an inspiration grows into something simple yet fabulous!
This is an ideal dish for this time of year. There has been quite a surplus of peppers in the stores for some reason. The yellow are the perfect in between. Not as sweet as red but sweeter than green. A perfect "marriage" for eggplant.
Thank you so much ofr sharing, Catherine...they say the sun will be shining this weekend...finally:)
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Angie@Angie's Recipes says
These crostini look so tasty!
Marla says
What a healthy hearty recipe that sound absolutely delicious. I hope you have a wonderful birthday! Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & twitted.
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Rattlebridge Farm--Foodie Friday & Everything Else says
What a great post. I love it when I'm shopping at the grocery, and one of those great moments sneaks up on me. I hope you have the best birthday ever!
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Amy @ Ms. Toody Goo Shoes says
Looks fit for a queen, or a birthday girl! Happy Birthday, Catherine! Wishing you another great year! Pinning this. Thanks for linking up at Best of the Weekend!
Miz Helen says
Your Roasted Pepper and Eggplant Crostini looks wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great weekend and come back soon!
Miz Helen
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CakeSpy says
What a perfect birthday appetizer! Dignified yet delicious and flavorful. 🙂
All that's Jas says
Thanks for linking up again at Thursday Favorite Things. Can't wait to see what you'll share next week!
Laura@ Baking in Pyjamas says
What a lovely dish, hope you had a wonderful Birthday! Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!
Michelle says
Yum! I will have to make this once we start picking eggplant and peppers.
Thank you for sharing!