Grilled Eggplant Caponata Sandwich with Poached Egg and Sriracha

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Submitted by Chef Kevin Williams of Roots Natural Foods Kitchen + Organic Juice Bar, Leominster MA

“The inspiration for this sandwich comes from the bounty of local organic produce we receive weekly from Charlie’s Red House Farm in Winchendon, MA. At Roots we love to create specials based on what’s freshest off the farm, and we use all organic ingredients when possible.”

Serves 4

Eggplant Caponata:
1 eggplant
1 cup diced tomato
1 cup diced red onion
3 teaspoons minced parsley
3 teaspoons capers, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt or sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Peel and slice the eggplant into ¾-inch slices. Prepare a bowl of salted water and add the eggplant; set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse, pat dry, and brush with olive oil; lightly season each side with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides, then set aside to cool. Dice eggplant and mix with all remaining ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Poached Egg:
6 cups water
1 tablespoon Himalayan pink salt or sea salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 eggs

In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add salt and apple cider vinegar. Crack one egg into water, and cook for 2–3 minutes, depending on how you like your yolks. Remove egg with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, repeating until all eggs are cooked.

Sriracha-Agave Drizzle:
1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (try to find locally-made sriracha from The Kitchen Garden Farm, Sunderland MA)
¼ cup agave nectar (or local honey)

Whisk sriracha and agave together and set aside until ready to assemble the sandwich.

To assemble:
4 ciabatta rolls or 8 thick slices country peasant bread
1 cup fresh local ricotta cheese
1 cup fresh local arugula

To make each sandwich, spread ricotta on both cut sides of a ciabatta roll or bread. On the bottom half layer some organic arugula, then top with a spoonful of the caponata. Place the poached egg on top and drizzle with the sriracha glaze. Season with salt and black pepper and serve.

This recipe appeared in the Summer 2016 issue.