Aperitivo Siciliano

• 2 small, or 1 large eggplant

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• 1 orange (or yellow) bell pepper

• Celery Bunch

• 2 oranges

• fresh oregano

• fresh rosemary

• fresh Italian parsley

• one head of garlic

• one large red onion

• Marcona almonds

• Pine Nuts

• tomato paste

• at least 1 cup of mixed pitted olives

*can be found at the deli section of the grocery store

• red chili flake

• olive oil

• honey

• red wine vinegar

Serves 2-4

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled & smashed

• The peel of one orange, cut into thin strips

*use your peel from the orange salad, if the rind is thick, cut off as much white as possible from the orange peel

• 2 big sprigs of fresh rosemary

• ½ cup of almonds (Marcona is best)

• 1 heaping cup of fresh olive mix with pits (green olives, kalamatas, etc)

*normally found in the deli/fresh section of the grocery store

1.In a small saucepan, add olive oil, garlic, orange peel, and rosemary. Put on the lowest heat and let sit for 20 minutes. Do not allow oil to get too hot or boil, you simply want to warm it only allowing slight bubbles to form around the ingredients

2. Keeping the heat on low, add the olives and almonds to infused oil, and let sit until warmed through about 10 mins

3. Using a slotted spoon, strain out ingredients into a serving dish. Remember to put a small bowl out for pits!

4. Put infused oil on a shallow plate or bowl to serve next to olives with bread

Notes: Oil can also be used in the orange salad! Olives can be kept in the fridge for a few days and served cold as well. If oil hardens in the fridge, simply let the olives sit out until it comes to room temp.

Serves 2

• 2 oranges

• 1/4 of medium red onion

• Red chili flakes

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Flaky Sea salt

• Fresh Oregano

1. Wash oranges, then on a cutting board, cut off the ends of each orange. Lay cut side down to slice off the rind in strips, moving from the bottom and leaving no white peel.

2. Slice orange into ¼-inch rounds. Set peel aside to use if making the olive recipe

3. Take ¼ red onion, and slice paper thin, the easiest way to do this would be with a mandolin if you have one!

4. Arrange orange slices on a large plate, laying them flat, then top with red onion

5. Drizzle on olive oil, and sprinkle on the desired amount of red pepper flakes, fresh oregano leaves, and flaky sea salt. Chill until ready to serve.

Pro Tip: For a heartier salad, add thin slices of avocado and chopped pistachios. For an extra layer of flavor, use the infused oil from the warm olive recipe to dress the oranges :)

Serves 2-4

• 2 Tbsp Pine Nuts

• 2 small eggplant (or 1 large), chopped into 1’ inch cubes, leaving the skin on

• 1 orange bell pepper, chopped

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes

• 2 celery stalks, diced

• 1 red onion, diced (or the rest of your onion from the Orange Salad recipe)

• 2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped

• 1 Tbsp Tomato paste

• 1 Tbsp Honey or Sugar

• 3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

• Handful of fresh parsley

• Handful of fresh oregano

*For a more traditional caponata and a salty kick, add chopped green olives or some capers

1.After prepping the ingredients, put a large nonstick saucepan or pot over medium heat.

2. While the pot is heating, find a large bowl, a spatula, and a large slotted spoon and place them next to the stove where you are cooking. This is a one-pot meal but requires everything to be cooked in stages, so these items are essential

3. In the heated pot, add pine nuts and toast until golden and brown. Once cooked, use the slotted spoon to take them out of the pan and place in bowl.

4. Add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add in the eggplant, season with a generous crack of pepper and salt, and cook over medium-high heat until tender and browned. About 15 mins. Add more olive oil if needed to prevent sticking to pan.

5. Once the eggplant is cooked, use the slotted spoon to move the eggplant from pan to bowl with pine nuts.

6. Add Bell pepper to the pan and cook until tender and browned. About 7-10 Mins. Once cooked, remove from pan and add to bowl with eggplant.

7. Add tomatoes to pan. Cook until skin is blistered and soft. Remove from pan into bowl.

8. Turn heat down to medium-low, and add one more tbsp of oil. Add onion, garlic, and celery to pan. Cook until soft and almost jammy, about 7 mins.

9. Add tomato paste and continue to cook until paste is a deep red, about 3 mins

10. To the onion mixture, add honey and vinegar.

11. Take all the cooked ingredients from the bowl (pine nuts, eggplant, peppers, tomato) and put them back into the pan to combine with the onion/vinegar mixture. Stir in fresh herbs.

12. Let caponata come to room temperature, or let cool and then put in fridge to serve cold.

Notes: This will keep in the fridge for 3 days and tastes even better the next day. Best served on a nice crusty slice of bread with a glass of red wine.