Lavash, a Middle Eastern flatbread, comes in a variety of sizes and textures, from crisp rectangular crackers to large folded pliable rounds. It is the latter called for here. To form the lavash into cups, you'll need a pan with 12 mini-muffin (1/8-cup) molds, each about 1 3/4 inches across the top and 3/4 inch deep.
Caponata is a piquant Sicilian dish of eggplant, onions, tomatoes, anchovies, olives, and capers, generously laced with olive oil; this variation is much lighter-and contains no added fat-because it omits the oil, anchovies, and olives.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 36 hors d'oeuvres
Ingredients
For caponata
For cups
Preparation
Make caponata:
Step 1
Cut eggplant and bell peppers into 1/4-inch dice. Finely chop onion and mince garlic. In a heavy saucepan simmer all caponata ingredients except raisins, capers, and parsley, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and most of liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes. Stir in raisins and capers and cool mixture to room temperature. Stir in parsley. (Caponata may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.)
Make cups:
Step 2
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 3
With a mortar and pestle or in a cleaned electric coffee/spice grinder crush anise seeds. Cut lavash into 36 1 3/4-inch squares, discarding trimmings.
Step 4
In a bowl of water soak 12 lavash squares 15 seconds and on a work surface, using edge of a spoon, scrape off a thin layer of bread from each square (cups will be tough when baked if left at full thickness). Gently press squares, white sides up, into 12 mini-muffin molds (see note, above) and sprinkle with some anise seeds and salt. Bake lavash cups in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp, and cool in pan on a rack. Make more cups in same manner. (Cups may be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.)
Step 5
Spoon caponata into cups.
