At Crystal Palace Market, we found the most divine caponata, a rather lovely sort of veggie preserve/chutney/pickle; rich, fruity, spicy and luxurious. We rapidly became addicted to it, eating in cheese sarnies, putting it on oat biscuits, even having it for lunch in a bowl of noodles. Demand soon outstripped supply, so we decided to give it a go ourselves. You can’t rush the cooking of this too much, the aubergines really do need that 15 minute fry, and you really do need to cook the onions, celery, peppers and toms slow enough to make it soft and rich

2 medium aubergines cut into 1cm dice

1 tbsp finely chopped oregano (optional)

400g tin of tomatoes (or a combination of fresh and tinned ones)

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 celery stalks finely chopped

2 red Marmaris peppers, finely chopped

2 red chillies, very finely chopped

15 black olives, stoned and finely sliced

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 tbsp rinsed capers, chopped

1 tbsp flat leave parsley, finely chopped

groundnut oil

good quality olive oil

Chilli oil (optional)

• Sterilise a large preserving jar in the oven at 160C for 30 minutes

• Meanwhile, heat a large pan with a small glug of groundnut oil, and stir fry the aubergine on a medium heat until browned – this takes about 15 minutes. Remove from the pan just before the cubes collapse into mush. Mix with the chopped olives and set aside

• Using the same pan, add a little more groundnut oil, and fry the onions and chillies for 5 minutes. Add the celery and oregano (if using) and fry for a further 15 minutes, until very soft. Add the red pepper and cook for a further 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Everything should be very soft and slightly browned

• Add the red wine vinegar and allow bubble for a minute before adding the tomatoes and sugar. Season well, and simmer very gently for a further 20 minutes, stirring from time to time. The sauce should thicken slightly

• Then add the aubergines, olives, capers, and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Check seasoning. Allow to cool slightly and add a glug of good quality olive oil. You can also add chilli oil if you’d like more heat

• Keeps in the sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks