by vvvanessa
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Kitchen Butterfly's Testing Notes:
Expand Collapsevvvanessa's Notes:
Expand2 medium-sized Italian eggplants, washed and dried Ask a question about this ingredient
3 tablespoons kosher salt Ask a question about this ingredient
2 cups white wine vinegar Ask a question about this ingredient
2 cups water Ask a question about this ingredient
5-10 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped or torn Ask a question about this ingredient
3-5 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves roughly chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
1 teaspoon dried chile flakes (Calabrian chiles if you can get your hands on them) or 4-6 whole dried chiles, sliced open Ask a question about this ingredient
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic, very thinly sliced Ask a question about this ingredient
2-3 cups very good quality extra virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
Slice the eggplants into rounds not more than 1/2" thick. Toss them with the salt so that they are evenly covered, and place them in a colander. Place the colander on a bowl or plate, then place a sheet of wax paper over the eggplant. Set a few pounds of weight on top of the wax paper; bags of dried beans or sugar or a few big cans of tomatoes will work well.
Ask a question about this stepLet the eggplant sit for a good 6 hours, or ideally overnight. Gently squeeze any remaining liquid from the eggplant. Discard the liquid that drained from the eggplant.
Ask a question about this stepIn a large, non-reactive saucepan, bring the vinegar and water to a boil. In 3 or 4 batches, add the eggplant to the mixture, bring it back to a boil, and let it cook for about 3 minutes.
Ask a question about this stepRemove the eggplant slices to a platter lined with an absorbent dish towel or paper towels. Let them drain for about 5 minutes, turn them, then let them drain for another 5 minutes.
Ask a question about this stepIn a minimum 1-quart capacity jar or bowl, layer the eggplant with the herbs, chiles, and garlic. Top off the layers with enough olive oil to cover the eggplant completely.
Ask a question about this stepKeep the eggplant refrigerated for up to a couple of weeks, but it won't last that long. Melanzane sott'olio is a perfect addition to an antipasti platter or picnic basket and makes for a great sandwich or crostino topping. I eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all points in between.
Ask a question about this stepMe too, thanks for sharing this with us! Even though I am not an "eggplant" person, but couldn't resist tasting it :0
Hey, vvvvvvanessssssa, I am able to get really nice Japanese eggplant, (and sometimes, the even tinier ones) so I'm wondering . . . how much volume of eggplant, i.e., how many cups of slices, would you say you use for this, when you make it with the larger ones? I'm sooo eager to try this! Thanks so much. ;o)
hi, aj! i would guess that i had maybe 3 or 4 cups of slices, thinking that each eggplant yields a couple of big handfuls. but i also think there is a good amount of leeway in the amount of eggplant you use, so i think that even if you ended up with 6+ cups, you'd be fine. and are these beautiful eggplants you're getting available to other east bay dwellers?
: )
Vvvvvvvanessssa, I get them in Oakland Chinatown; sometimes the ones at the Old Oakland Farmers' Market, right across from Chinatown, are really nice looking. Other times they are cosmetically challenged, but fresh. I go super early, when possible. I usually park on the north side of the market (near 9th and Washington), peruse the Asian vendors' tables and buy anything that looks fabulous but isn't in great quantity, then I cross Broadway and shop at the first big market with produce on 9th St. (also great for fresh bean sprouts, lemons/limes, every bottled Asian sauce imaginable, etc.) for anything not available at the farmers' market, then load up on farmers' market produce last. If you go in the middle of the day, you get the great R&B bands and the food trucks are out in full force. The guy playing the traditional Chinese instrument's there for most of the market (8-2). I love Oakland. ;o)
Made this over the weekend, and it's terrific. The flavors are quite similar to makdous, a Syrian dish in which baby eggplant are pickled and stuffed with garlic and peppers and chopped walnuts- eat for breakfast with scrambled eggs and toast, yum!
thanks, lazychef! i'm glad you liked it. now i'm going to have to look up a recipe for makdous-- the walnut element sounds divine.
Oh my, that makdous, minus the peppers, sounds right up my alley. Definitely going to run that down. ;o)
Great story! Add eggplant to today's shopping list (and white wine vinegar -- too bad I can't borrow some from Kitchen Butterfly).
Oh Susan G if you live anywhere near the Netherlands :-), I'd be happy to send you some!!!!!!!!!! So looking forward to making this
Excellent, and very pretty. I think they'll only get better until we eat it up -- which won't be long.
And thanks, KB. Hope you've made yours too.
thanks, susan g! a good heap of bread got dunked in the leftover oil for sure!
And guess what - I have 2 bottles of white wine vinegar which I'd been looking forward to using up!!!!!
Looking forward to testing these!
i do hope you like the recipe. i was very happy to see that you'd testing it!
This sounds fabulous!
i wish it were as fabulous as the one i had in salina. maybe i just need to move there and keep the vendor in business.
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I had the opportunity to try this, and it is delicious! Thanks for sharing such a lovely memory and recipe.