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!
