Eggplant Parmigiana Caponata

Delicious recipe! I did omit the sugar entirely because of another cook's comment that the sauce tasted like a Bar-B-Que sauce and it was superb! I figured the Balsamic Vinegar would sweeten the dish enough and I was correct! My whole family gobbled it up - even my 5-year old and 19-month old children. No complaints of itchy mouths either! My husband loved the eggplant mixed in with his fettucini. I would like to suggest to anyone who is contemplating making this dish to go ahead and use the anchovies in the recipe. We are not an anchovy family. I personally hate strong-flavored fish. There is no way I would ever eat a slice of pizza with anchovies on it but when you add anchovies to sauces, it gives a depth to the dish that would be totally lacking if you omitted them. I keep anchovies on hand just for this. It can really make a difference between a good dish and a great one!For this recipe, I used the whole 2 ounce can of anchovy fillets. Just drained the oil from them, chopped them up and tossed them in at the right time. YUM!!!!!

really good -- but i made some changes: no bell peppers, no wine vinegar, 1/4 c. br. sugar instead of 1/2 c., no anchovies, no capers... great!!! made it again and got rave reviews--again! Here is what one person said: "Oh my gosh, recipe, please!!! Fabulous! Wanted to lick the bottom of the pan but used my broccoli instead." I made it with the capers this time.

Like several others, I made some changes to the recipe based on other comments. I reduced the brown sugar to 3 tablespoons, removed the anchovies, used only balsamic vinegar (didn't have any red wine vinegar handy) and used only about 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with some olive oil spray during sauteing. (Way more healthy with less total fat!) I also added 1/4 cup of chopped kalamata olives, an 1/8 cup of chopped green olives and 3/4 of a cup of sauteed sliced white mushrooms. This was an amazingly good base for a recipe, and even better after sitting a day for the flavors to meld.

really good -- but i made some changes: no bell peppers, no wine vinegar, 1/4 c. br. sugar instead of 1/2 c., no anchovies, no capers... great!!! made it again and got rave reviews--again! Here is what one person said: "Oh my gosh, recipe, please!!! Fabulous! Wanted to lick the bottom of the pan but used my broccoli instead." I made it with the capers this time.

Absolutely wonderful, although I did do a few alterations as I did not have a few ingredients. I used green olives ground up in blender instead of capers, accidently cooked the peppers with the onion, and used green onion instead. It is a bit sweet, and I might back off a bit on the sugar next time, but there WILL be a next time!

This is a very distinctive tasting dish, the kind you either love or hate. I loved it, thought it was tasty and different, my hubby hated it, wanted to know why I put barbecue sauce on eggplant. If you are looking for a more traditional italian tasting sauce for on top, I would suggest cutting way back on the vinegars and sugar. If you like something new, than leave it as is (maybe still less brown sugar!).

I made this dish last night for Valentines Day and it was amazing! I followed all the reviews and didn't really measure my oil, just used enough to saute the veggies. It was the perfect amount! Everything about this dish was great, I even made extra sauce to use with chicken parmigiana...(my boyfriend wanted both chicken and eggplant). All I had to do was add s bit of vodka and heavy cream to the sauce, and a bit of tomato paste and it was amazing with the chicken. I would definitely recommend this recipe!

I would probably give this more like a 3.5 stars... we liked the flavors, and with a few modifications it could be a 5. The "fixes" I made would equate to the following modifications on the original recipe. First, I did not use any anchovies or capers. I used only about 2 tbs each of balsamic and red wine vinegar, and about 2 tbs brown sugar (the original recipe made it WAY too sweet!). Also, I would drain the tomatoes (I used diced instead of stewed) and would not saturate the eggplant with oil--my husband and I both thought it was way too oily and liquidy. Definitely has potential though--a good start!

For all you Ichthyophobics out there, this is a fabulous recipe that integrates anchovies into a tart, vegetable delight. Also great for any eggplant aficionados.

The sauce is delicious and I and used over eggplant rollatine instead of the original eggplant recipe provided. The vinegars & anchovies made it very tasty but I cut down the amount of brown sugar as I found it too be a bit too sweet 1st time around. It is one of our favorite pasta sauces now!

Loved it! I'm not a fan of capers or anchovies so I omitted them, but it is fabulous without them and will definitely be part of my regular rotation. Because I omitted the saltiness that capers/anchovies would have added I also made a cut to the amount of brown sugar so that it wasn't too sweet. Thanks for the recipe, I'm so happy I found it!

This is great dish. the sauce is amazing. I used fontina cheese because I didn't have mozzarella. Family loved it and they don't normally like eggplant.

I threw some chicken into the recipe because it was in my fridge and needed to be used. It's a nice meal in one dish-made for pretty good leftovers, too.

after a rocky start... i enjoyed making this for my wife on mothers day... she helped prep and i was the chef...

Very good and makes a pretty dish!

My husband & I really loved this recipe. I used veggies freshly picked from the garden, which I'm sure added to its excellence. I made some fairly minor changes - used fresh tomatoes (it's summer, after all), green peppers as that's what we had. I added about 1/4 c. or more raisins soaked in water and 1/4 c sliced olives, which I pulsed in the food processor together with the anchovies. I did not add salt, as I thought the cheeses would be salty enough. Although the recipe was quite time consuming, it was worth it! My husband was ecstatic and said we can have it as often as I like! Note to some previous reviewers - it is a pity to eliminate the capers and anchovies - after chopping them finely, they vanish into the dish and just add a wonderful flavor.

I'm glad I tried this recipe with the capers and anchovies! I just added a little bit at a time, and found that I used the amounts suggested in the recipe. Also, as others suggested, I went easy on the sugar and vinegars, adding only a tablespoon at a time until it tasted the way we like it.

I made this last night and OMG at first I thought it was too vinegary but after a few bites I couldn't stop eating it! Like many others I left out the sugar and the capers and anchiovies but I will try them next time. So good!

Good stuff!

Great recipe. Left out the anchovies only because I didn’t have any in the house. Easy to make with great flavor.

I used only half the recommended sugar and still found it too sweet. I’m sure there’s a better way to balance the enormous amounts of vinegar and sugar. Will be looking for another recipie.

I followed this recipe exactly as stated. Sorry but this one is not a keeper for my family. It was waaaaaay to sweet. Will not try again. When you review you must pick at least one star. I really wanted to give it zero.

Very good...great for vegetarians out there. It really does use a lot of oil, though and I needed even more than called for to saturate the eggplant and saute the peppers. I also cut the brown sugar by half and used dried oregano. Anchovies and capers added a nice salty touch to the other very sweet elements. I served over penne. I would definitely make it again.

Outstanding! This recipe is easy to make, and be easily adjusted for your own tastes. I did not use anchovies, and didn't have capers on hand, but it still was terrific! You can cut back on the olive oil in the second half of the recipe.

This was especially rich flavored and different for a great change from regular eggplant parmigiana. Loved it!

We have an abundance of eggplants in our garden. This was outstanding! I did reduce the sugar to only 1/4 cup and it tasted fine so I left it at that. We used canned diced tomatoes with the liquid and it worked well. Also liked that there was no need to salt the eggplant to remove moisture. That saves a half hour. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Ate the leftovees for lunch the next day.

Definitely leave out the sugar.

Reduced brown sugar to 2 Tbsp, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. We really loved it.