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

Summer Bounty preserved.

At the end of summer, when I have eggplants, small or big, fat or skinny, I save some for long winter days by pickling them.  A week later, I can begin to fish a slice or two from that refrigerated jar and adorn my meats, layer them in sandwiches, slip them on a pizza, heat them up and serve them as pasta topping.

Instructions:
Sterilize the jar you'll be using by pouring boiling water into it and turning it upside down on a clean towel to dry.
Slice your eggplant into thin slices. Sprinkle some salt on these slices.
In a non-reactive pot bring 2 cups of water and 2 cups of white vinegar to a soft boil.
Add the eggplant slices and cook until transparent, ten-fifteen minutes. Scoop out and drain.
Prepare the toppings: Dice 5 cloves of garlic, a cup of parsley or 1/2 cup of parsley and 1/2 cup of basil.

Layer eggplant slices, diced garlic and parsley, and enough olive oil to cover each layer. End with  parsley and garlic. Seal the jar and refrigerate for at least two weeks.

Note: you could add some additional ingredients to your topping, such as diced onions, celery, peppercorns, mustard seeds, etc. The basic recipe my mother made is what I gave you.

If you make enough of these, you could hand them out at Thanksgiving, your contribution to a buffet that will not have the likes of this jar!

If you have too much eggplant...

Spring is still too far away to think about planting anything. I do not have a picture of an eggplant per se. This is a wild iris, growing wild in Oregon, in the spring.

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.