Caponata and Chorizo Ciabatta Sandwich

Caponata is the pure dark, concentrated juice of summer, the sweetness of Mediterranean fruits cooked to a chunky vegetable stew of aubergine, zucchini, green bell pepper and tomatoes. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to find tasty produce at the market, ripe and rich in flavor, so I'm stocking up while it lasts. I cooked enough caponata to feed a family of 6, but in our case it only lasted for a few days. Breakfast, lunch and dinner saw piles of the juicy dip shuffled onto one thick slice of bread  after the other - delicious.

I had a sandwich in mind, I decided to include a Spanish speciality - chorizo - to reach the next level of caponata pleasures. My boyfriend really loves this spicy salami, so I bought a big piece from the butcher as a little thank you to him. In the past few weeks he's been helping me out tremendously reading through recipes and stories for my book and weathering my changing mood throughout this rather stressful time. It's supposed to be my baby, my work - which it definitely is - but it's also cutting off a big chunk of his time. He deserved an exceptionally good sandwich: caponata voluptuously layered on spongy ciabatta with bitingly hot salami and a little fresh parsley. It felt like a yummy good-bye to summer!

A short note: The combination of chorizo and caponata is also great with pasta!

Caponata and Chorizo Ciabatta Sandwich

Makes enough caponata for 4-6 people

For the caponata

• olive oil

• aubergine, quartered and thinly sliced, 200g / 7 ounces

• fine sea salt

• ground pepper

• large red onion, quartered and sliced, 1

• garlic, thinly sliced, 3 cloves

• large green bell peppers, cut into cubes, 1/2 (about 130g / 4 1/2 ounces)

• zucchini, cut in half and thinly sliced, 200g / 7 ounces

• small tomatoes, chopped, 4

• balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon

• tomato paste 1 heaping tablespoon

• capers, rinsed, 1 heaping tablespoon

For the sandwich

• large ciabatta bread 1

• chorizo salami 3-4 thick slices per sandwich

• black olives, pitted and cut in half, 3 per sandwich

• fresh flat-leaved parsley, a small handful

Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a large, heavy pan and sauté the sliced aubergine for about 7 minutes on medium heat until golden and soft, stir once in a while. Season with salt and pepper, transfer the aubergine to a plate and set aside. Add a little more olive oil to the pan and cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until soft but not dark. Scrape them aside, add some oil and cook the bell pepper for 2 minutes, add the zucchini and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and the sautéed aubergine to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 15 minutes or until soft. Stir once in a while. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, tomato paste and capers and cook for 5 minutes. Season with vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and let it cool a little.

Divide a few generous spoonfuls of the caponata between the sandwiches, lay the chorizo and olives on top and garnish with fresh parsley. Close the sandwiches and enjoy!