Few salads epitomize Sicilian cuisine infused with Arabian culture like caponata salad. Enjoyable year round, aromatic caponata salad served chilled is exotic enough to help get you through the dog days of summer. There are various recipes for caponata; some include artichokes or sweet peppers. In order of amount, the necessary ingredients are eggplants, celery, green olives, onions, capers, virgin olive oil, vinegar, sugar.

The ingredients must be prepared carefully. The celery, for example, should not be overcooked and must remain firm. The cured or salted capers must be thoroughly rinsed. The aubergines may be steamed slightly and then sautéed, though some purists prefer frying. This a great dish accompanying grilled seafood.

CAPONATA SALAD

Prepared in 25 minutes or less plus 4 hours refrigeration.

8 medium eggplants, unpeeled
1 cup peeled tomatoes
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 heart of large celery, rinsed and patted dry
1 cup firm cured pitted green olives
1 cup capers, rinsed
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs sugar
Fresh pepper and salt to taste


Dice the eggplants into 1-inch squares. Cook eggplant squares until cooked yet firm by steaming them over a large pot filled wth boiling water. Drain well and set aside.

Chop the peeled tomatoes into small pieces and keep the juice and seeds.

Chop the onions into thin slices.

Cut the celery stalks into 1-inch long pieces discarding any leaves.

Halve the olives.

Sauté the onion and celery pieces in a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. When done, the celery should be lightly cooked but not raw. Next, add the tomatoe pulp and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Lower heat and simmer for 3 minutes until the sauce changes color to a lighter shade of red. Now, simmer on low heat for another 4 minutes. Add diced eggplant, olives and capers to mixture.
Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil, vinegar and sugar. Stir gently with a wooden spoon and allow mixture to simmer covered for an additional 5 minutes over medium heat. The mixture should thicken but not burn.

Remove pan from heat and allow sauce to cool to room temperature. Season to taste before chilling for four hours. Serve chilled atop crackers and toasts.

GRILLED SWORDFISH

Prepared in 10 minutes or less.

2 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
2 lbs swordfish steaks, cut ½-inch thick

Light a grill or preheat the broiler.

In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice with the salt until the salt dissolves. Stir in the oregano. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season generously with pepper.
Grill the swordfish steaks over high heat (as close to the heat as possible), turning once, until cooked through, 6 - 7 minutes. Transfer the fish to a platter.
Prick each fish steak in several places with a fork to allow the sauce to penetrate. Using a spoon, beat the sauce, then drizzle it over the fish. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

EXOTIC DARK CHOCOLATE BARK
Prepared in 15 minutes or less plus two hours to refrigerate.

2 sticks unsalted sweet butter, softened to room temperature
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate morsels
1 package plain graham crackers
1 cup macadamia nuts
½ cup dried cranberries or dried cherries or candied ginger bits
1 cup mini white marshmellows

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line an edged cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place a single layer of graham crackers atop foil. Set aside.

Over a double-boiler on medium heat, melt the butter. Add vanilla extract then gently stir in the sugars until combined. Allow mixture to boil then reduce heat and gently boil for 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Pour butter mixture over graham crackers and spread with a spatula to evenly cover all the graham crackers.

Bake for 10 minutes then remove cookie sheet from oven and allow to rest for 2 minutes.

Next, layer graham crackers with dark chocolate morsels, macadamia nuts, dried fruit of choice and mini marshmellows. Gently press ingredients down onto graham crackers with the back of the spatula. Sprinkle with extra dark chocolate morsels.

Return cookie sheet back into the oven and bake bark for 1 minute. Cool bark to room temperature then refrigerate for two hours.

Peel chilled bark from foil before breaking into large uneven pieces. Serve immediately with espresso.

Optional: Wrap in cellophane bags tied with festive ribbon or decorative tins and keep on hand as a parting gift or gourmet hostess gift. Yields one pound.

POACHED PEARS IN WINE
Prepared in 5 minutes or less plus 20 minutes to simmer.

3 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 cup dry white wine
1 orange, zested
1 vanilla bean, split down the middle with a knife
6 whole black peppercorns
8 small firm pears, peeled

Peel pears and set aside.

Combine first six ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add pears, bring syrup to a boil and turn pears occasionally.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until pears are tender.

Remove pan from heat, cool then chill pears in syrup until ready to serve.

Before serving, drain pears and place one upright on each plate then garnish with fresh berries and drizzle extra syrup atop each plate.