Go Back
Print

Pickled Eggplant

I love this as a side for rich dishes or even on a sandwich with, oh, focaccia.  Good stuff and it'll hold up a few days in the cooler.  Make it to eat it in the next day or two.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Author Dann Reid

Ingredients

Pickled Eggplant

  • 1 each Large eggplant
  • 1/4 C White Balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 C California Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 t Fresh mint, thinly chopped
  • 1 t Fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 t Fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 t Red pepper flakes Optional
  • 1 clove Garlic, peeled, very thinly sliced See "Goodfellas" prison cooking scene
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Place a 6 qt pot of water to boil. Salt the water after it boils.

    Mix all ingredients together in a stainless steel bowl.  Set to the side.

  2. Peel the eggplant.

  3. Slice the eggplant 1/8 inch thick lengthwise.

  4. Place 4 or 5 slices of eggplant into the salted boiling water.  Allow to cook until they are cooked and this is seen as the composition changed from yellowish flesh to translucent. This is the important part of the step to break down the cells of the eggplant for the next step.

  5. Lift the cooked eggplant from the water with a spider, shake off excess water and place hot eggplant into the assembled marinade.  Stir with a wooden spoon to get all the eggplant in the marinade.  Repeat with all the eggplant.

  6. Place the eggplant and marinade into a sealable container.  Place in the cooler for at least 2 hours to cool the condimento and allow the flavor to develop.

  7. For service, carefully stir the eggplant bottom to top and life some eggplant from the marinade with a fork so some of the marinade drips off.  Part of the beauty of this dish is the marinade as it runs on the plate.

  8. Serve with a nice veal dish or beef dish or baked pasta dish.  Or stand in front of the cooler when no one can see you and dip focaccia into the marinade.  I mean, maybe.

Recipe Notes

If you don't have or prefer to skip the Goodfellas scene, here is a link to that scene.

Obviously this level of cutting isn't really expected, but the spirit of cutting the garlic very, V E R Y, thin is the point to be made.

Additionally, the voice over is right: garlic that thin just about melts in a pan. Not too hot or it goes to carbon just as fast.