I have to purchase my eggplants at the local grocery store, and hope they have enough for all the wonderful recipes I want to use them. Usually, I get one or two at a time, for parmigiana or ratatouille.
If I have extra eggplant, I pickle it. This is the recipe:
2 medium or one large eggplant, sliced and salted
10 fat cloves of garlic, chopped fine
2C red wine vinegar
1 bunch of parsley, chopped fine
1 1/2 C of olive oil, the very best you can get
In a deep, non reactive pot, gently boil the eggplant in the vinegar, about five minutes, until soft and quasi-transparent. Do this in small batches. Drain the soft and limp eggplant in a colander and get the rest of the ingredients ready to be layered.
In a glass jar with lid, start with a layer of eggplant, add chopped garlic, parsley and olive oil to cover. Repeat the layering until all eggplant has been used.
The parsley, garlic and oil will be the top layer.
Refrigerate.
In a couple of weeks, you can start using the concoction.
Uses for the pickled eggplant:
1. scoop out a good amount, blend it and serve as pasta sauce.
2.add to your antipasto plate with assorted cured meats and olives.
3. blend it and use it as a dip, with cruditees, toast points, baquette.
4. as a sandwich filling, all by itself, or with additions of grilled meats.
Enjoy!
If you do make it, let me know how you like it. My children never did; too vinegary for them.
Sounds divine! I adore eggplant, and would love to have too much...didn't do so well in the garden last year:-(
ReplyDeleteMelanzana!! I grew up on eggplant, but I have had little luck in growing it...so I buy mine at the farmers' market when it is in season. Your recipe sounds interesting. I usually use mine in a caponata or a pasta. Just last week I had two that I used to make rotini...slices fried, stuffed with ricotta cheese & egg, rolled, topped with sauce and baked. Che buona!
ReplyDeletePatricia, sono affamata!
ReplyDeleteDiana, if you like eggplant, this is an easy way to preserve them.
I love this. We don't see much eggplant here in Mexico (in my town), so I used chayote instead and it was wonderful. Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteI made this in early January, then got morning sickness and a strong aversion to garlic...so it sat until now, and I finally tried it. It's fantastic! I've been using it as a sandwich filling.
ReplyDeleteI'm inspired to research eggplant varieties that might do well here (zone 5), since I have had a lot of success growing it so far.