It isn't really summer vacation for me anymore, but I was inspired to take a shot at recreating something I remember from my younger days. Maybe my memory is clouded but I can easily picture jars covered with waxed paper containing preserved eggplant on the counter and on the basement shelves at my parent's house. Not sure if calling the jars ubiquitous would be accurate but they always did seem to be close at hand.
When looking for the recipe in my notebook I tried to remember the last time I ate preserved eggplant but I couldn't place the date. Maybe 10 years or maybe longer. Like many things I remember growing up preserved eggplant is just another thing that disappeared as I got older.
The recipe I got from my mother is not really recipe but a process. It takes three days to make this stuff, but not much work time is actually involved. (That will depend on how much eggplant you have.) The process is illustrated below.
Day 1: The Salting
I bought two eggplant totaling about 1.5 pounds for my first try at this. After peeling and slicing them relatively thin, I salted the slices and placed them in layers separated by waxed paper.
The salting was done on Friday night. By Saturday morning the eggplant had bled a fair amount of liquid.
You know you want some! Mm.
Day 2: The Soaking
On Saturday morning I wiped off the eggplant slices and put them into a mixture of three parts vinegar to one part water to cover. Eggplant floats so I put waxed paper over the top of the container and placed weight on top to keep the slices submerged.
Day 3: The Packing
On Sunday afternoon I drained the eggplant. You do have to squeeze the slices to get much, but not all the liquid out. I packed the eggplant slices in jars, layering with celery, garlic, and oregano. The jars then need to be filled with oil to cover its contents. This is important, no air bubbles can remain. Use a knife and or your hand to make sure the oil gets all around the slices. I covered the mouths of the jars with waxed paper, then put on the lids. I was able to loosely pack two pint jars.
I resisted until the following Saturday before cracking open a jar. For lunch I made a sandwich using a loaf of bread that I got from the Whole Foods across the street. The verdict: my sandwich was almost as good as I remember. When I make this again I will be sure to add a few more cloves of garlic to each jar and have a heavier hand with the oregano. I might even add some kind of hot pepper slices.
While I enjoy the remainder of my eggplant I'll have plenty of time to think about what kitchen project will be next.
