This year marks 20 years since bestselling cookbook author and Emmy-nominated TV host Katie Parla packed up her life in New Jersey and headed to the fertile and ancient land of Italy.

She chased the flavors of her upbringing to their roots, soaking up time-honored traditions and familial recipes at every turn. Now, she’s sharing some of what she learned in her seventh cookbook, Food of the Italian Islands.

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Featuring 85 recipes and 120 photographs, its an authentic exploration of the beaches, coastal villages and hillside flavors of Sicily, Sardinia and more. It’s absolutely worth the purchase, but as a little taste test, Parla has agreed to share her recipe for Caponata (or sweet-and-sour eggplant with celery, capers and olives) below.

An excerpt from her book follows:

Katie Parla

“Sicily’s famous sweet-and-sour relish may be most associated with eggplant—it is the main ingredient—but when I was learning to make caponata, my teacher Giacomo reprimanded me for not giving the celery its due. I didn’t take it personally. One of the main ways I have learned about traditional cooking in Sicily (and everywhere else in Italy) has been through being shamed about not knowing the exact way to make something according to that particular family’s traditions.

Celery delivers so much more flavor and structure to the caponata than the eggplant, so I was listening. Next, he admonished me for using too much tomato, which he told me was a recent addition dating back only a century and a half, at most. And he had read a theory that the original recipe featured fish and that eggplant was used as a substitute by peasants (not unlike in the melanzane a quaglia recipe on page 55), giving us the now common eggplant version.

This recipe uses very little tomato, relying on vinegar for an acidic note. I prepare caponata at least a day ahead to ensure all the flavors have married and mellowed.”

This recipe serves six and is an absolute delight on breezy summer nights and days alike. Enjoy it as the Italians do, with friends and family close at hand, and a smile on your face.

Caponata (Sweet-and-Sour Eggplant with Celery, Capers and Olives)

Ingredients:

• 3 medium eggplant or 2 large globe eggplant (about 2 pounds total), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• Sea salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 6 celery stalks, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
• 1⁄4 cup slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed, soaked until their saltiness mellows, then drained
• 1⁄2 cup green olives (I like Castelvetrano), rinsed and pitted, then roughly chopped
• 1⁄2 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• ¾ cup good-quality white or red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1. Place the eggplant in a colander, sprinkle all over with salt, then set aside to drain for an hour. Rinse and pat dry.
2. Heat 1¼ cups of the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the eggplant, working in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Cook until soft and browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Use more olive oil as needed. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add the onion and celery to the same pan with the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil over low heat. Season with salt and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 20 minutes. When the onions are close to being cooked, add the almonds, capers and olives and cook until the almonds are fragrant. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mixture to the bowl with the eggplant. Add the tomato to the same pan, season with salt, and cook until it has lost its raw flavor, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the vegetables to the pan with the tomato sauce, then pour over the vinegar and sugar. Stir to combine, then simmer for 2 minutes to marry the flavors. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
5. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight before serving. The caponata will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Buy Food of the Italian Islands and follow Parla on Instagram for more delicious Italian dishes and inspiration.