Home >Recipes >Radicchio Lettuce Cups with Caponata

Serves: 12

Radicchio Lettuce Cups

12 whole radicchio leaves

10 cups ice water

Caponata

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 cups diced onion (1/4-inch dice)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 anchovy fillets, chopped

2 tsp chili flakes

2 tbsp caper juice

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 eggplant (about 1 lb.) peeled and diced into small pieces (see Michael’s Note)

1 tbsp roughly chopped capers

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation Time: Preparation Time: 30 minutes + (1 hour, 15 minutes inactive)
Cooking Time: Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Soak lettuce leaves for about 10 minutes in ice water to reduce bitterness. Wrap in damp paper towel to keep moist until ready to serve. In large sauté pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and sauté briefly until brown. Add the onion and brown lightly, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add a pinch each of salt and pepper (go easy on the salt because the anchovies will add that extra bit of saltiness). Continue to cook until the onion is well browned, about 5 minutes. Add the anchovies and cook and stir until they melt into the onion. Add the chili flakes, then the caper juice and stand back to avoid getting splattered. Stir and scrape all around the pan. Add 1/4 cup of the vinegar, return the heat to high, and boil until reduced and thick, 1 to 2 minutes. In a separate pan, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the eggplant and sauté until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Sauté only a small bunch at a time, to avoid letting the eggplant boil in its own juices. If the pan gets too dry, add more olive oil as the cooking progresses - if you add too much olive oil early in the process, the eggplant will absorb all of it and still need more. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan well so nothing burns. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape into a bowl. Add the garlic-anchovy mixture to the eggplant with the capers and remaining vinegar. Stir well, then scrape into a bowl. Stir in the parsley and taste again for seasoning. Let cool to room temperature before serving. Place 1 to 2 tbsp of caponata in chilled lettuce cups. Wrap into ball and enjoy.