Mediterranean Caponata featuring Macari Vineyards

This post has been sponsored by Macari Vineyards. All opinions expressed are my own. Please enjoy responsibly!

This Mediterranean Caponata salad is both sweet and savory. With a drizzle of honey and roasted vegetables, it is the perfect wine pairing for this season.

Macari was one of the big surprises from my Long Island wine series last year. Prior to the series, I must admit that I hadn’t heard of the winery, and so I honestly had no idea what to expect from them. However, to say I was pleasantly surprised would have been a drastic understatement, as they turned out to be the ‘hidden gem’ of the series – and that’s precisely what I was hoping to find. If you’re interested, you can see last year’s review HERE.

In fact, I was so pleased with what they sent me last year that I decided to invite them to be part of my spring content this year, and I received two bottles, a 2018 Sauvignon Blanc “Katherine’s Field,” and a 2018 Rosé.

The Sauvignon Blank introduces itself with a bouquet of white fruit essences, with light floral notes lingering in the background. On tasting, the wine is immediately ‘crisp’ and refreshing, carrying notes of citrus and lime with just a hint of tartness, set over a very dry and mineral mouthfeel. As I wrote of their 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, the minerality is almost ‘powder-like,’ though I probably wouldn’t go quite that far in my description of today’s 2018 bottle. To my mind, this is a quintessential spring and early summer wine, perfect for outdoor gatherings set around light spring recipes.

For pairing, it’s become cliché to say “White wine and fish,” but let’s be honest clichés often exist for a reason. First and foremost, think light white bodied fish, shrimp cocktails, or perhaps a light squid salad tossed with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, capers, and fresh parsley. Garden salads topped with blue cheese and a light vinaigrette would also serve quite nicely.

Next up we have a 2018 Rosé. The wine opens with aromatics of red summer fruit with just a hint of acidity in the background. On the palate, the wine is crisp and medium-bodied, carrying intense raspberry-led fruit notes from start to finish, framed in a nuanced and pleasant acidity.

For pairing, I’m going to say a homemade tapenade would serve excellent, for my recipe see this post. {LINK} https://livingthegourmet.com/2015/11/olive-tapenade.html {LINK} Grilled chicken over a bed of warmed salad might serve well. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I could also probably see this serving nicely alongside a roasted lamb with herbs – which I’ll be posting in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

However, as you might have guessed, I’m actually pairing this with my Mediterranean Caponata Salad.

Now, there are two schools of thought when it comes to caponata and wine – and these schools of thought could not be further apart.

The first school of thought is that you need a ‘hardy’ wine to stand up to this very hardy dish, and its savory and complex flavor profile. Think red wines like Sangiovese or Sagrantino, or even heavy-hitting white wines like Greek Assyrtiko. Basically, you pair it with a wine that won’t be overwhelmed by the caponata’s heavy flavors and heavy body. This is how I remember my family eating caponata, and how I typically serve caponata when I have company.

The second and perhaps more ‘professional’ school of thought is that since caponata features multiple layers of acidity, you want a wine that won’t be ‘shocked’ or overwhelmed. You want a wine that can more or less ‘meld’ around the acidity or even ease it away. In other words, pair the wine to the acidity as opposed to the texture or flavor. For this, you want a medium to light bodied rosé, or a more mellow red, or even a pleasant bottle of prosecco or cava.

And, for today, we’re going with the second school of thought.

More than perhaps any other recipe, caponata concisely encapsulates the flavor profile of Sicilian cuisine, with the spongy texture of the roasted eggplant thoroughly absorbing the caper, garlic, and pepper-laced juices of the sauce.

Mediterranean Caponata featuring Macari Vineyards

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• Author: Living the Gourmet
• Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 - Sicilian eggplants - cut in 3/4 inch cubes
• 1 large sweet onion - chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cups of diced celery
• 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley - chopped with stems removed
• 1 head of garlic - chopped
• 16 oz. of grape tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper - diced
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 6 oz. can of olives - drained
• 3 tbs. of capers - plus 2 tbs. caper juice
• 3 tbs. honey
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbs. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• Olive oil for drizzling

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Instructions

1. Heat a large cast iron frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil; add the celery, sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring often until just tender but still a beautiful bright green.
2. Remove the celery from the pan with a slotted spatula and set aside.
3. Add the eggplant to the pan and again sprinkle with salt and a drizzle of olive oil, cook over a medium heat, stirring until golden and tender; again remove with a slotted spatula and place on top of the celery.
4. Add the onion and garlic and sprinkle with salt and a drizzle of olive oil, cook over a medium heat until slightly golden and softened. Remove from the pan with a slotted spatula and place on top of the eggplant.
5. Add the chopped bell pepper to the pan and sprinkle with salt and a drizzle of olive oil and cook over a medium heat until softened and slightly charred; remove from the pan with a slotted spatula and place on top of the onion.
6. Place the grape tomatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and a drizzle of olive oil, cook over a medium heat until slightly charred and softened.
7. Return the cooked veggies to the pan with the charred tomatoes and toss; add the raisins, capers, olives, honey, lemon juice and parsley and toss.
8. Add seasonings and the honey and toss.
9. Cook for another 20 minutes, uncovered.
10. Remove from the heat and let cool, uncovered.
11. This will last in the refrigerator for as long as a week.
12. Serve with your favorite bread, sharp cheese and your favorite antipasto delights.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1

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And remember, don’t fuss ‘too much’ over how to pair wine and food. One of the first “Wine Pairing Rules” I ever learned was “Pair wine you like with food you like,” and the rest takes care of itself. As Wolfgang Puck says, "Learn to train and then trust, your palate."

Cheers!