Join “Jayni’s Kitchen” this week for “Italian Sampler” with Diana Carlin Pierron, Kansas University dean of the graduate school and international programs.

Pierron and host Jayni Carey will prepare the following recipes: Caponata, an eggplant appetizer; Porchetta al Finocchio, pork roast with fennel; and Pesche Ripiene, stuffed baked peaches.

A new show airs at 6:30 p.m. each Tuesday on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6. The show also is broadcast at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday; 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday; 9:30 a.m. Saturday; 10:30 p.m. Sunday; and 10 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Caponata

1 medium to large eggplant

Salt

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes (without seasonings)

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)

Dash cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

or balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar (reduce sugar

if using balsamic vinegar)

Crostini or crackers (lavosh works well)

Any of these are optional:

1/2 cup green olives, pitted and sliced

1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon capers

3 tablespoons white raisins

or currants

1 6 ounce can tuna (water packed)

Rinse the eggplant and slice it in half lengthwise. Cover the cut portion of each half with salt. Wrap the eggplant in paper towels and let stand for at least 4 hours. (This removes bitterness and moisture from the eggplant.) Scrape the salt off the eggplant and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. (You should have about 6 cups.) Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly brown and tender. Remove the eggplant from the skillet and set aside. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and add the celery, onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Returned the cooked eggplant to the skillet. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, cayenne pepper and any of optional additions listed below. Pour the vinegar into a small bowl, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Pour the vinegar mixture over the caponata and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture develops a jamlike consistency. Cool the caponata and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with crostini or crackers. Serves 8 to 12.

Optional additions: Combine olives and pine nuts, capers and pine nuts, raisins or currants and pine nuts, or olives or capers and tuna.

Porchetta al Finocchio

3- to 4-pound boneless pork loin

or shoulder roast

Fennel leaves from one stalk of fennel

6 to 10 garlic cloves, peeled

Olive oil

Salt and black pepper

To prepare the pork roast for stuffing with the fennel leaves and garlic, cut a lengthwise slit through the center of the meat, stopping short of the other end by about 1/2 inch. Remove the leaves (dill-like greenery) from the fennel stalk. (Save the stalk and bulb for another use.) Cut the garlic cloves in half. Stuff about three-fourths of the fennel leaves and garlic into the opening in the meat. Tie the roast with string to keep the seasonings in during cooking. Make about 12 one-inch-deep slits in the top, sides and bottom of the roast and stuff the remaining garlic and fennel into each slit. Spray or brush the entire roast lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the pork roast fat-side down in a roasting pan and add 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cook the roast uncovered in a 275-degree oven for 4 for 5 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 170 and the juices run clear. Transfer the roast to a warm platter, tent with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. (The roast can be served hot or cold.) To serve, remove the string from the pork roast and slice into 1/2-inch slices. Serves 6.

Option: Serve the sliced pork roast on ciabattina rolls.

Pesche ripiene

6 peaches (freestone)

1 egg

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

12 amaretti (almond cookies)

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 to 3/4 cup Moscato wine, or other sweet white wine

Wash the peaches and cut them in half. Using a melon baller or a spoon, remove the stones and any tough outer part of the stone and discard. Scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl, leaving the walls of the peaches about 1/4-inch thick so that they hold their shape. In a small bowl, beat the egg and confectioners’ sugar together using a wire whisk. Crush the amaretti and stir them into the egg mixture. Fill the peaches with the mixture and top each with about 1/2 teaspoon of butter. Places the peaches in a baking dish and add the wine.

Bake the peaches in a 375-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the peaches are soft and the pan juices are bubbly. (The exact baking time will depend on how ripe the peaches are.) Serve the peaches with the pan juices spooned over top. Serves 6.

– Recipes by Diana Carlin Pierron