Italian Pickled Eggplant Recipe

The trade: Italian Pickled Eggplant for Austin-style Italian Roasted Peppers

In exchange for a jar of my spicy Austin-style Italian roasted red peppers, I convinced my friend Annie to share her mother's recipe for Italian pickled eggplant. I will eat eggplant cooked in any manner--it's one of my favorite vegetables. But when marinated in vinegar and aged in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, ginger, and fresh herbs, it becomes a delicate and refreshing treat and the perfect addition to any antipasto tray.

The hardest part about pickling eggplant is that you must let it sit undisturbed for at least ten days before you eat it!  The easiest part about the recipe is that you can put the finished jars in the pantry and forget about them for months--assuming you have a little self-control. No refrigeration required and you get to admire your little beauties every time you open the pantry door. Your friends will probably be impressed that you actually know how to pickle anything. Isn't that what our grandmothers and people who had gardens used to do?

Find attractive jars to display your creations. Ball makes a nice variety of glass jars, and Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table always have excellent, though considerably more expensive, selections. If you're lucky, your mom might actually have a few empty jars in the back of her cupboard.

While any type of eggplant will work for this recipe, use organic if available. Lori Alden's Cook's Thesaurus is a great resource to learn more about all the varieties of eggplant that are available, and can help you determine which one you might prefer. You will probably be amazed by how many types of eggplant might be available at the farmer's market: the large deep-purple American and small purple Italian, the tiny Hawaiian, a slender Filipino, Japanese, and Chinese, a deep red Indian, the Pea clustered variety, a gorgeous apple green, and the always lovely, white eggplant. Just be sure to follow Lori's advice and pick the freshest ones without blemishes.

Italians favor their small, thin purple variety, which tend to be sweeter than our American giants. Chinese and Japanese varieties are thinner skinned, with less seeds, and have a more delicate, sweet flavor. I will be searching for the unusual Pea clustered miniatures, an Indian red, or Rosa Bianca heirloom for the next round of pickling. The pickled clusters could be especially nice to serve along with olives and cheese as a summer antipasto. I think I might even leave them on the stems for added drama. 

Pea cluster eggplant

Indian red eggplant

Rosa Bianca eggplant

Here is Lori's description of eggplant:

This is a spongy, mild-tasting vegetable that's meaty yet low in calories. It's never eaten raw, but it can be baked, grilled, or sautéed. The best eggplants are firm and shiny eggplants with unbroken skin. Male eggplants tend to have fewer seeds, and are therefore less bitter than female eggplants.  To sex an eggplant, look at the indentation at bottom. If  it's deep and shaped like a dash, it's a female.  If it's shallow and round, it's a male.  Smaller eggplants also tend to be less bitter. Freshness is important, so don't store them for very long.

Plan on three days to complete the pickling process--don't panic--the only thing you do after prep day is drain, add vinegar and stir, then boil for a few minutes. Think you can handle that over three whole days? I used my phone's timer to remind me to drain or stir every 8 hours.

Time-consuming--yes. Worth every minute--absolutely! Just think--you can tell everyone you've been in the kitchen pickling eggplant. I don't know about you, but most of my friends only remember their grandmothers pickling anything edible. Display your stunning jars in the front of your pantry for everyone, including the cook, to admire.

Day three: ready for your pantry shelf ........for at least 10 days!
thought I'd show you how beautiful the pickled eggplant would be,
before I show you how ugly it looks during the process.

Don't be discouraged during the first 24 hours when your eggplant starts looking like earthworms! Keep on going because this is a tasty appetizer that your family and friends will enjoy. And it is great  to have on hand in your pantry for last minute entertaining or as a hostess gift.

Peel eggplant. I used the large American variety for demonstration purposes.

Cut in half.

Cut into slices lengthwise.

Try to keep your slices uniform.

Long spears--don't worry they shrink a lot.

Place in a large pan. Ready for salt.

Add 1 tablespoon salt per eggplant.

Toss well with your hands.

Weigh eggplant spears down with a plate.

Then a heavy pan. I used my cast iron skillet, but any heavy pot will do.

For a little extra weight, I put the large vinegar container on top of the cast iron pan.
Drain liquid every 8 hours for the next 24 hours.

It's Austin, so I covered the pans just in case outside critters made it into the house
or Kitty decided to check it out.

Wring out as much liquid as possible with a cotton towel.

Eggplant is ready for a soak in vinegar for 24 hours, and given a stir every 8 hours.

Day two add vinegar to cover completely. Stir well.
Cover once again with your plate, heavy pot and vinegar container.
Stir every 8 hours.

After 24 hours place pot on cook top and bring liquid to a boil.
Boil uncovered for 10 minutes.
Sorry no photo for this part.
Turn on your vent!

Let eggplant cool completely, then squeeze as much liquid out as you can with a cotton towel.

This is how much of the boiled vinegar liquid I was able to get out.
OK--yukky but you get the point.

This is what your eggplant will look like after the 24-hour salt soak, the 24-hour vinegar soak,
the boiling of the eggplant and wringing out of the liquid.
Almost done so hang in there!
Looks can be deceiving...

Remember that I said the fun part of pickling was next?
Now the eggplant gets layered in those jars,
and seasoned with layers of garlic and ginger slices, 
whole peppercorns, fresh oregano and mint.
Top with good quality extra virgin olive oil and SEAL!
Looks pretty and tasty now right?

Here's the full recipe. Don't expect more than 2 large jars of eggplant unless your double or triple the recipe,which you could easily do. Remember the hardest part of this recipe is that you have to let the tightly sealed jar sit in a cool dark spot (like your pantry) for 10 days or more for the flavors to perfectly meld. Serve at room temperature on your favorite rustic cracker or sliced Italian bread.

Enjoy!

Beautiful now, isn't it?

Margarita Melanzane 
Italian Pickled Eggplant

2-3 large eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1" strips
1 tablespoon salt per eggplant
White vinegar (not wine) to cover
3-4 large garlic cloves, sliced
Fresh Ginger slices (about a 4" nub sliced)
Fresh mint leaves (to taste)
Fresh oregano leaves (to taste)
Whole peppercorns (to taste)
Extra virgin olive oil
Sterilized canning jars (wash and dry jars and tops in dishwasher on high temperature or boil in a large pot--jars don't have to be hot when you fill them like in traditional canning)

Peel and slice eggplants lengthwise into long narrow strips, about 1" wide. Place in large pot and add salt. Toss until salt is evenly distributed. Cover with heavy plate, pot and dish towel. For the next 24 hours, drain at 8-hour intervals and re-cover. Do not refrigerate.Remember you are pickling.

After 24 hours, drain completely and place in a dry cotton dishtowel. Squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the eggplant. Place back in pot and cover completely with vinegar. Cover with heavy plate and pot.

For the next 24 hours, stir eggplant every 8 hours. After 24 hours, place pot on cook top and bring liquid to a boil. Boil uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain eggplant in a colander then place in a dry cotton dish towel. Wring out as much liquid as possible.

This is what 3 large eggplants will yield; just a few cups of delicious goodness.

Place slices of garlic and ginger, peppercorns,and sprigs of mint and oregano on the bottom of each jar. Add a portion of eggplant. Again layer spices and eggplant until jar is packed full. Pour olive oil over eggplant until completely covered. If any oil gets on the rim of the jar, wipe clean. Seal jars and store for ten days in pantry before serving. Serve at room temperature.

Layers of garlic, ginger, peppercorns, fresh mint and oregano 
soak in a bath of extra virgin olive oil for 10+ days.

Un bacio a voi margarita dolce--grazie per il vostro bello recip.