Italian Picnic Feast

Courtesy of  Sunset Magazine

Picnic Menu

AntipastoTray with Caponata

**Layered Torta with Ham, Provolone, Spinach, and Herbs- (Recipe in this months Free Cookbook )

Toasted Ciabatta Bread Slices

Cookies

Sangiovese Wine & Limoncello

Sicilian Bruschetta

Time: 50 minutes. Caponata, a sweet, tangy Sicilian eggplant-pepper relish, tastes downright addictive spooned over toasts with mild, creamy ricotta cheese.

Ingredients

·        1 loaf (1 lb.) crusty Italian bread such as ciabatta, cut into 1/3-in.- thick slices

                               About 6 tbsp. olive oil, divided

                               1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2-in. dice (about 4 cups)

                              2 tablespoons minced garlic

                    1 cup chopped celery

·                                 1 cup chopped red bell pepper

·                                 1 cup chopped green olives

·                                 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

·                                 1/4 cup tomato paste

·                                 1/2 cup raisins

·                                 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

·                                 2 teaspoons kosher salt

·                                 2 teaspoons sugar

·                                 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

·                                 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

·                                 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

·                                 1 cup ricotta cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lay bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with about 2 tbsp. oil. Bake until toasted and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook eggplant, stirring often, until softened and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

3. In the same pan, cook garlic in remaining 2 tbsp. oil, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add celery, bell pepper, and olives, stirring to combine, and cook until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup water, the vinegar, tomato paste, raisins, and pine nuts and cook until heated through. Stir in reserved eggplant, salt, and sugar, then mix in herbs.

4. Serve caponata with ricotta on the toasted bread.

Make ahead: Chill caponata up to 2 days and store toasts airtight up to 2 days.

Packing tips

• Transport the caponata in a small, sealed container in a picnic basket. Wrap the toasts in a big napkin and put on top of the caponata. Stash the ricotta in a sealed container in a cooler.
• For the cookies, use a pretty box with a lid or a vintage tin lined with tissue paper.

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