Translate

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Time to preserve.

Eggplants are abundant this time of the year. We eat them often, in pasta dishes, in ratatouille, in eggplant parmigiana, in eggplant lasagna.

I also pickle them; for those rainy days of winter when I want to make ratatouille and there are no eggplants around.

I cook slices of eggplant in a 50/50 mixture of water and white vinegar and a tablespoon of salt. My mother used red-wine vinegar and the results were fantastic! I save a lot of money if I use plain white vinegar.
When the slices appear translucent, about five-seven minutes in a soft boil, I ladle them out and drain them.



I pack them tightly (in a clean and recently sterilized jar) covering every layer with good olive oil, a thin layer at a time, with chopped parsley and garlic between each layer.

Refrigerate for a minimum of two weeks before using.

Some of the way I use pickled eggplant:

1. sauce for pasta or rice
2. a condiment for sandwiches
3. an addition to scrambled eggs
4. garnish for meats and fowl
5. on toast points for an appetizer
6. as a pizza topping
7. a welcome addition to a grilled cheese sandwich

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for this info, a good idea for surplus egg-fruit, I only ever freeze them as ratatouille. Enjoy your day Diane

    ReplyDelete