Marinated Eggplant In Olive Oil
By: Anonymous
Published: Monday, November 30, 2009 - 5:57pm

Ingredients




4 mediums Eggplants (about 3 ½ lbs
1/2 cup Salt
1 teaspoon White vinegar
1 teaspoon Extra virgin olive oil [go
For the greenest you can
Find]
3 cups Regular olive oil [all
Extra virgin would be
Prohibitive for too many]
1/4 cup Chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon Dried oregano OR
2 1/2 tablespoons Fresh oregano if available
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Preparation

1 Andrea's New Orleans Extra Virgin Recipes 2 1. Slice the skins off the eggplants, and slice them about 1/4 inch thick from top to bottom. Then slice across to get pieces the size of French fries. Put the eggplant strips in a bowl and toss with the 1/2 cup of salt. 3 2. Move the eggplant strips into a colander, arraying them in a relatively uniform layer up the sides. Put a bowl the same size as the colander inside the colander and weigh it down with three or so pounds of weight. [I find a foil covered common solid brick is a handy kitchen tool.] Put the entire apparatus in the sink to drain for 45 minutes. This will remove any bitterness from the eggplant. 4 3. Rinse the salt off the eggplant with cold water. Drain it well, then SQUEEZE it dry. Put the eggplant in a bowl with the vinegar, and marinate it for 30 minutes. [It will return to shape like a wet sponge.] 5 4. Drain the vinegar from the eggplant and squeeze it dry again. Put the eggplant into a bowl with all the other ingredients. 6 5. Pour the contents into a canning jar. Make SURE there is enough olive oil to completely cover all the eggplant about 1/2 inch deep. Tightly seal and refrigerate the jar. Marinate for at least a week; The ideal time is actually three months, and the eggplant will keep getting better even after that.