Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grilling
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar, plus more if needed
1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup white-wine vinegar
Coarse salt
8 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices baguette
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Preparation
In a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, raisins, pine nuts, garlic, and red-pepper flakes; cook stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add tomato paste, cocoa powder, and sugar; cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggplant, vinegar, and 1/3 cup water.
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender and mixture is thick, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and more sugar (up to 1 tablespoon), as desired.
Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides bread with olive oil. Grill, turning once, until toasted and grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side.
Top grilled bread with caponata; garnish with basil leaves. Caponata can be refrigerated up to 5 days in an airtight container; let cool completely before storing.
