Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for caponata orzotto | Quick and easy

There are few things quite like a freshly stewing pan of caponata – here, I’ve made the glossy, sweet aubergines the star of a handy weeknight orzotto

I have a core caponata memory, and it doesn’t take place in Italy. It was during my first visit to the Globe theatre in London, which all felt very magical: Shakespeare, an open-air theatre, plus an open-air foyer with a huge, paella-style pan of freshly stewing caponata. I instantly regretted going for a substandard meal beforehand, because in this pan were the glossiest, sweetest-smelling aubergines (with a hint of sour), finished with celery, pine nuts and all the gubbins – I still regret not pushing through the fullness barrier and ordering a portion. Since then, I’ve eaten wonderful caponata and it remains one of my favourite Italian dishes. Here, I’ve incorporated the essence of it into a weeknight orzotto.

Caponata orzotto

You can leave this as is, or finish with a little fresh crumbled ricotta or a grating of salted ricotta.

Prep 5 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4

2 aubergines
40g pine nuts
Olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
1 tsp caster sugar
300g orzo
500g passata
1 tbsp red-wine vinegar
2 tbsp capers
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, or mint, leaves picked and finely chopped

Trim the aubergines and peel off most of the skin, then cut the flesh into 1-2cm pieces. Put a wide, deep saute pan or casserole on a medium heat, dry-toast the pine nuts until lightly golden, then spoon them on to a plate.

Pour four tablespoons of olive oil into the hot pan, and add the red onions and chopped aubergines. Season generously and fry, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until everything is tender and slightly golden. Add a little more olive oil, then stir in the garlic, chilli flakes and sugar, and fry for another couple of minutes.

Stir in the orzo, passata, vinegar and 700ml just-boiled water, give everything a good stir and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pan and leave to cook for 12 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until the orzo is cooked but still a little oozy (the mix will thicken as it cools, but if it’s too thick, add extra boiling water while it’s cooking). Taste and check the seasoning, then serve scattered with the toasted pine nuts, capers and chopped herbs.