Caponata:

Preparation:

• Cut the aubergines and zucchini into large cubes and season with salt. Let the cubes soak in a bowl for at least 30 minutes and stir again and again. Then put the vegetables in a colander to drain and weigh them down with a plate so that some of the liquid comes out. Drain for another 30 minutes.
• Cut the celery into slices, about 0.5 cm thick. Peel the onion, cut in half and cut into fine rings.
• Scald the tomatoes, rinse and peel off the skin. Then finely dice the tomatoes. Likewise the clove of garlic. Halve, core and roughly dice the peppers. In a separate pan, roast the pine nuts over high heat without oil and place on a plate to cool. Then fry the pepper pieces in a little neutral oil in a hot pan so that they get a roasted aroma.

Preparation:

• In a large pan, in which all the vegetables will fit later, heat the olive oil very gently and slowly caramelize the onions in it over a very low heat. This takes about 45 minutes. Check and stir again and again, the onions must not burn. Therefore, if necessary, add a tablespoon of water to the pan from time to time. Add the celery after 15 minutes. It also secretes some liquid and helps keep the onions from burning.
• When the onions and celery start to caramelize, add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Then sprinkle the sugar over it and let it caramelize for about 3 minutes. Deglaze with the vinegar, stir well and add the diced tomatoes. Let these simmer for about 10 minutes until they are soft. Then add the tomatoes, olives, capers and about 100ml water and let simmer. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Fry eggplants and zucchini:

• Heat 1 liter of rapeseed oil to approx. 180 ° C in a tall saucepan. Dab the aubergine and zucchini cubes well with kitchen paper and fry them in the oil until golden brown. Thanks to the long marinating time, they should hardly soak up any oil. Lift the cubes out of the fat with a slotted spoon or similar and let them drip off on several layers of kitchen paper.
• Finally add the peppers, aubergines and zucchini to the caponata and let it bubble gently for another 20 minutes. You may have to add some more water, because the fried vegetables still absorb a lot of liquid.
• Finally, season everything with a good olive oil, coarsely plucked basil leaves and let it steep for at least an hour. Just before serving, add the pine nuts and basil to garnish. The caponata tastes best when it is allowed to steep overnight.

Artichoke cream ravioli:

• Remove the stems from the artichokes and cut off a third of the leaves. Then boil in a saucepan with water, salt and the juice of a whole lemon (to keep the color) for about 45 minutes.
• For the ravioli dough, knead the flour with the eggs, salt and beetroot juice into a compact, firm dough. Wrap in cling film (or put a bowl over it) and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Remove the artichokes from the heat and let them cool. Then defoliate to the heart. Put in a bowl and work with the other ingredients to a firm paste with a fork or a hand mixer.
• Sprinkle the work surface with flour and roll out the ravioli dough until it is only about 1mm thick. Divide the dough in half with the rolling pin. Cover the dough with the filling (1 teaspoon filling each time), leaving a 4 cm gap between each filling. Brush all around with egg yolk. Place the other half of the dough on top and press firmly, then cut out the raviolis with a mold. Then cook for 2 minutes. When serving, drizzle with olive oil, decorate with pecorino cheese and roughly plucked basil leaves.

Polpette di Tonno:

• Cut the tuna into 1 inch cubes. Put two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and place on the stove on medium heat. Put the tuna with the pine nuts and cinnamon in the pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper and fry for about a minute to cook the tuna on all sides and toast the pine nuts. Remove from heat and pour mixture into bowl. Let cool for 5 minutes, then add oregano, parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice to the bowl. Crush the flavors properly with your hands and mix them into the tuna, then divide the mixture and press into meatballs that are slightly smaller than a golf ball. If you dip one of your hands in water while sculpting, you will get a nice smooth surface on the meatballs. If the mixture is very sticky, add a few more breadcrumbs. Keep the meatballs about the same size and place them on an oiled tray. Then put them in the refrigerator for an hour to let them rest.
• Put the pan in which you fried the tuna back on the heat with a little olive oil. Add the meatballs to the pan and stir back and forth until they are golden brown all over. Serve warm.

Pesto siciliano:

• At the beginning put the basil leaves with the almonds, the tomatoes and the crushed garlic clove in the blender. Of course, the pecorino cheese shouldn't be missing. Mix all ingredients and then add olive oil. The pesto should have a thick and creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.