CHOCOLATE CAPONATA WITH WHITE POLENTA AND FRIED CELERY LEAVES

It’s a ‘grows together, goes together’ dish for early autumn. Aubergine and big, ripe tomatoes are finishing up, while celery is at its best and the tender inner leaves make a great crispy garnish when fried. Chocolate, a traditional addition in some regional variations, gives the caponata deep complexity.

Serves 4

1tbsp pine nuts, toasted 2tbsp caperberries, halved Large handful of basil leaves Large handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley Cracked black pepper

For the caponata:

2 large aubergines, cut into 3cm cubes 180ml olive oil Salt flakes ½ bunch celery, chopped, inner white leaves reserved 1 large onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1tbsp dark brown sugar 2 grosse lisse tomatoes (or any big ripe tomatoes), chopped 85ml aged sweet vinegar 1tbsp salted capers, gently rubbed to remove salt 120g pitted Kalamata olives 30g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), roughly chopped

For the polenta:

500ml milk 250g fine white polenta Salt flakes and black pepper 100g Gruyère (you could also use Parmesan, romano, etc) 60g butter, chopped

1Preheat

the oven to 200°C conventional. For the caponata, place the aubergine in a baking dish with 60ml olive oil and a little salt, tossing until well coated. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender. Set aside. 2Meanwhile,

for the polenta, combine the milk and 250ml of water in a large saucepan over medium heat, and heat until just below boiling point. Reduce the heat to low and slowly add the polenta, stirring continuously. Season with salt and pepper. Continue stirring to prevent sticking, adding extra liquid if required. When the polenta is soft, add the cheese and butter and stir until melted and well combined. Remove from the heat and pop a lid on to keep it warm. 3Heat

60ml of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the inner white celery leaves and fry for two minutes or until crispy. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on paper towel. 4Add

the onion and garlic to the same pan and sauté for five minutes or until glassy. Add the celery and cook for two minutes, then add the sugar, tomato and two and a half teaspoons of salt, then cook for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the vinegar and reduce for five minutes until sticky. Add the aubergine, capers, olives and remaining oil, then fold in the chocolate until it melts. 5To

serve, spoon the polenta onto plates and top with the caponata and fried celery leaves. Scatter over the pine nuts, caperberries, basil, parsley and a little cracked black pepper.