Just a little and light side dish

Ok. Let's start.
I was only a young boy when my grand mother Matilda, here in Scoglitti, told me:

"Little boy, you have to eat a lot to became a strong a big man. You have to eat a lot and cook your dishes with a lot of olive-oil, because olive oil will make you beautiful."

My grand mother was 4 feet and 11 inches tall and weighed 170 lb. She was beautiful, so I had trusted her.

I've learned from her how to cook an Authentic Sicilian CAPONATA, and now I reveal my secrets to you. Only foolish people can believe that caponata is similar to French ratatouille. The question is simple: caponata is good and ratatuille is stench.
It's a full vegetable recipe, so it's really light (I know, you americans are obsessed by diets). In fact it contains only vegetables.

INGREDIENTS:
- 2 eggplants
- 2 sweet pepperoni
- 2 onions
- 2 stem of celery
- 1 red hot pepper
- a handful of green stoneless olives
- a spoon of capers
- a spoon of sugar
- olive oil (a lot)
- salt (the right)
- vinegar (just a little)

You have to cut the eggplants in big pieces without peeling and put them in a little of water with salt for 1 hour, to take away the bitter.
In the meantime, cut onions and pepperoni pinstriped and celeryin little pieces.

You must cook pepperoni, onion, celery and eggplants SEPARATELY in a frying pan with a lot of olive oil, medium fire, until vegetables are soft and soak of olive oil. Then put all together in a pan, add olives, red pepper and capers, then salt, sugar and finally vinegar.

If you have pine nuts add someone of it.

You have to savour it cold, with fresh olive oil and some fresh basil leafs, with beef steak or other grilled beef. It' just a little and light side dish.

When I finished my caponata, my grand mother always said me: "eat it more, may be are you sick? Just a little" and gave me another dipper. So I've become big, strong and beautiful as her was.
Enjoy.