I brought caponata to a friend’s birthday party and no one could pronounce the damn thing. No matter how you try to pronounce it, caponata is a stupidly simple eggplant dish that is perfect atop fresh or toasted Italian bread.

Sweat onions in extra-virgin olive oil until translucent. Throw in a good amount of thinly sliced garlic and cook until fragrant, without taking on any color. Add peeled, diced eggplant and cook until softened, stirring frequently and adding more oil as needed so that it doesn’t stick to the pan. Then add a can of diced tomatoes, a splash of red wine vinegar, and chopped capers. Season with S & P and allow the flavors to meld for a good 20 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, sprinkle in a healthy amount of chopped fresh parsley.

If you bring this to a party, please bring your pants. It’s just good manners.