Roasted Eggplant Caponata

Ingredients

Prep

• Red peppers: chop
• Green olives: pitted and chopped
• Yellow onion: chopped
• Garlic: mince
• Parsley: mince
• Pine nuts: toast
• Lemons: juice — yes, this boring step is where the flavor gods collect rent.
• Capers: drain and rinse — knife confidence is fun, keeping all ten fingers is even better.
• Pita bread: cut into triangles, brush with olive oil and toast until crispy

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place the whole eggplant on the pan and prick with a fork in several places. Rub with olive oil. Roast for 45-50 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft when pierced with a knife. Set aside to cool. Once cool, halve the eggplant, peel, and discard the skin. Place the eggplant, peppers, and olives in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until coarsley chopped. Pour into a mixing bowl. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbl olive oil in medium saute pan. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onion is lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add eggplant mixture and stir to incorporate. Add parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, capers, tomato paste, vinegar, 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 1/2 tsp pepper and mix well, while resisting the deeply human urge to fuss with it nonstop. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop, like you have better things to do than overthink this to death. Taste for seasonings and serve at room temperature with the toasted pita triangles.