Author Notes: My Italian grandmother’s recipe, passed down to my mother and to me. Pickled eggplant/aubergines are wonderful in a sandwich, or served as part of an antipasto plate.
A simple, ribbon wrapped jar also makes an extremely unique and impressive item to bring as a hostess gift, instead of the old standby of a bottle of wine!
(Just kidding, wine’s always a great gift, but it’s nice to have something really different once in a while.) —Christina @ Christina's Cucina
Makes: 2 or 4 jars depending on size
Ingredients
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3 or 4
long, skinny eggplants (Japanese)
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Kosher salt
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2/3
cup strong wine vinegar
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1/3
cup water
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3 or 4
cloves of garlic*
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1/2
teaspoon dried oregano
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extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Slice the eggplants into approximately 1/4″ thin slices, or julienne if preferred, and place in a colander and sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Continue layering the slices and salt, until finished. Place a small plate and weight on top of the plate. Make sure to put the colander in the sink or a small bowl underneath to catch the liquid.
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After a couple of hours, squeeze all the excess liquid from the eggplant and set aside.
Put the vinegar and water in a small pot and bring to a boil, then add the eggplant.
Only cook them for approximately 2 minutes, then drain. - Place the pickled eggplant in a bowl and add some olive oil, garlic and oregano, and mix well. Don’t worry if there’s enough oil as the jars will be filled later. Put the pickled eggplant mixture into clean, dry jars, packing tightly. Next, fill the jar with olive oil, reaching into the jar on the sides with a fork or long toothpick to get rid of the air gaps. You really shouldn’t need much oil at all, if the jar is packed correctly.
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Place the lid on tightly and refrigerate for about 3 or 4 days before eating. Keep refrigerated after opening.
*One word of caution if you are going to make this: apparently botulism is a risk when preparing garlic in oil. Although we’ve never been sick ourselves, or anyone in our family (and I will continue to make this), I just want to put this out there…http://www.livestrong.com/article/485148-eating-raw-garlic-botulism/ It’s probably the vinegar in the recipe, which is one of the things recommended to avoid botulism, as well as refrigerating the pickles when finished. If you have any concern, omit the garlic.