I’ve taken the flavours of caponata and put them into something a little more comforting. Aubergine, tomatoes, olives and capers all make their way into orzo; the whole thing gets covered in mozzarella, and it’s baked until golden and bubbling.
The aubergines get a good roasting first – until they’re soft and golden. I do the same with the tomatoes, letting them cook down with garlic and basil, until they’re sweet and jammy. Half of them get blended into the orzo, and the rest stay whole. It means you get little bursts of tomato throughout.
The capers and green olives bring that salty sharpness that makes caponata so good. They cut through the richness of the orzo and mozzarella. There is a bit of Parmesan in there too, which makes everything extra creamy.
It’s a bit of a labour of love, but most of the work happens in the oven or in the pan while you get on with something else. Bring the bubbling dish to the table, leave it for five minutes, then spoon it out while the mozzarella is still stretching.
A CAPONATA ORZO BAKE
Caponata, but not as you know it. I’ve taken those sweet, sour, salty Sicilian flavours and turned them into a lovely orzo bake.
Ingredients
- 3 large aubergines chopped into chunky wedges
- extra virgin olive oil
- 500 g cherry tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- handful basil leaves only
- 2 banana shallots finely chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 450 g orzo pasta
- 1.25 L hot vegetable stock
- 40 g parmesan (or any other hard cheese), grated
- 35 g capers
- 60 g green olives thinly sliced
- 2 balls mozzarella drained, dried & sliced
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 160°c (fan-assisted).
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On a baking tray, combine the aubergine, a really good glug of olive oil and a nice pinch of salt. Use your hands to give everything a good mix and coat the aubergines in the oil, then roast for 30-40 minutes, turning the aubergine halfway through, until it is soft and golden.
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Meanwhile, combine the cherry tomatoes, sliced garlic, basil leaves, a good drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and black pepper in a small baking dish (you want the tomatoes to be piling on top of one another). Give everything a good mix, then roast for 25-30 minutes alongside the aubergine, until everything is tender and jammy. Allow to cool slightly, then blend 1/2 of the roasted tomatoes, garlic and basil along with all the liquid from the tray, until completely smooth. Set both the blended tomatoes and remaining roasted tomatoes aside for later.
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Heat your largest heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Once hot, add the shallots and a pinch of salt and fry for 4-5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the tomato puree and fry for a further minute or so, or until it turns slightly darker in colour. Stir the orzo into the pan to coat it in the tomato puree.
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Add a ladleful of the hot stock to the orzo and stir continuously. Once all the stock has been absorbed into the orzo, add another ladleful of stock. Repeat this step, stirring continuously between ladlefuls of stock, until the orzo is tender and creamy. If you find your orzo is still too al dente after using up all your stock, you can add another ladleful of liquid – either make up a little more stock or just use boiling water from the kettle.
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Add the parmesan and blended tomatoes into the orzo and stir to melt in the cheese. Next, add the aubergine, remaining roasted tomatoes, capers and olives and stir those through, too. Remove the pan from the heat, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
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Arrange the mozzarella over the orzo, then bake for 18-22 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbling – if it isn’t getting as golden as you would like, you can turn the grill on for the last few minutes. Let it sit for 5 minutes, before tucking in.
There are plenty more orzo recipes here for you! You’ll also find the recipe video for this Caponata Orzo Bake on my Instagram.
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