Ingredients
- 1,3 kg eggplants
- 500 ml white vinegar
- 400 ml water
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 bunch fresh parsley (minced)
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- epsom salt
- 250 ml olive oil (EVOO)
Servings: jars
Instructions
- Peel the eggplants and cut them in slices, each about 1 inch thick.
- Put the eggplant slices in a colander in layers, each layer sprinkle with enough salt. The last layer should be salted as well.
- Put a deep dish under the colander and a breakfast dish on the top. A weight on the plate holds the eggplant layers down, that way the bitter liquid can go out with more ease.
- Let sit for two hours, than turn over the eggplant layers and put back the dish and the weight for another two hours. The brown liquid coming out has all the bitter parts of the eggplants. Wait another two hours.
- During your waiting time, prepare the garlic (clean and mince) and the parsley (clean and mince). Choose the jars and prepare to sterilize them.
- After the two hours, take the eggplants out of the colander, squeezing them in order to get out the last liquid. Prepare in a pot the vinegar and water, bring to a boil. Cook the eggplant slices in two rounds each for 30 seconds. Take them out, spread them on a canvas and tap them dry with a paper towel. Let them cool a little bit.
- While you are waiting you can sterilize the jars and lids in the still super hot vinegar water and let them dry (upside down) on the canvas as well.
- Now cut the eggplant slices into small filets. Transfer in a bowl, add all the spices (parsley, garlic and chili flakes) and mix well with two spoons.
- Now take a little of your eggplant mixture and put it on the bottom on the first jar, add a little olive oil, another layer of eggplant mixture, olive oil and so on. Press the mixture always down that the air goes out. When filled nearly to the top, fill with olive oil and put the lid. Don't close too well, you need to reopen the jars later.
- Proceed with the other jars until you used all the eggplant mixture.
- Leave the jars on the table and wait at least 4-5 hours. Then open them again and look if the olive oil is still covering all eggplant mixture. If not, add some more olive oil and close well.
- The eggplants in oil have to sit at least one week. The longer, the more taste they will have.
Recipe Notes
To store the 'melanzane sott'olio' you just leave them in your pantry. Don't put them in the fridge! After you opened a jar, finish it within a couple of days.
I stored them the whole winter and longer this way without a problem.
Try also other vegetables like zucchini, artichoke, mixed vegetables, cauliflower and the list goes on.
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