Pickling is a legendary technique for
food
preservation .
Cooking it in vinegar allows you to enjoy vegetables and meats all year round.
Pickled eggplant is a classic that never goes out of style
.
Its versatility makes it the protagonist in snacks, it works wonderfully in bruschetta or salad format and it can also be a garnish for roasted and baked meats.
Buying a large quantity of eggplants in summer and preparing them in pickle is
a good way to save
, since the
jars are kept for twelve months and two weeks, once opened
.
There are millions of recipes for this pickle.
With skin, without skin, cubed, sliced... As long as
the food science standards are respected
, they are all correct.
It is key to choose good seasonings and not skimp when flavoring the oil.
Chopped or powdered garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves are three of the faithful companions
that should not be missing from the jar.
Below is a guide to take advantage of the eggplant season.
How to choose the best eggplants to pickle
If you are looking for a good result, yes or yes you have to
start from good raw materials.
In this case, you have to select the best eggplants.
There are several styles of eggplants, but the most common are three:
the classic ones, dark almost black;
the marbled and the white ones.
Whatever the choice, you have to look at them carefully and choose the ones with the
brightest, smoothest skin and without bumps
.
The
plumes should be as green as possible
, this indicates that it is a vegetable that was harvested very recently, therefore, it is an indicator of freshness.
Three types of eggplants.
Photo: Shutterstock.
Lifting it with your hand and feeling a
reasonable weight
will also help in the choice.
If it is picked up and is too light, it will be discarded as it will have too many seeds and not enough “meat”.
How to make pickled eggplant
There are many recipes, but they all agree on one point.
To make a pickle you have to
boil the eggplants in vinegar for a short time
.
The most classic formula is to peel the eggplants, place them in a colander and sprinkle coarse salt on them.
They are left with weight on them for an hour so that all the water they have drains and with it, the acidity and bitterness go away.
Pickled eggplants.
/ Photo: Shiba
They are washed and
cooked for five minutes in a pot with boiling vinegar
.
They are strained and placed in a previously washed and dried jar.
It is covered with oil,
flavored with spices to taste
and covered with a closure that must be very airtight.
If you are going to consume them within the week, you simply have to let them
marinate for two days in the refrigerator
so that they are very tasty.
But, if you want to store it in the pantry (a dark and cool place) you must do one more step:
boil the jars covered with water for about five minutes
.
Then, turn off the heat and leave them until the water cools.
Now they are ready to be stored for twelve months.
Different ways to make pickled eggplant
Slices of pickled eggplant, for a luxurious appetizer. Photo: Shiba
Although the classic escabeche is with peeled eggplant,
it can also be made with eggplants with skin
.
You should know that the skin's own dye can stain the preparation, leaving it half purple.
The flavor will be the same.
The shape of the eggplant cut is indistinct.
They are usually
cut on the bias (diagonally), into cubes or slices
.
They will be delicious anyway, you just have to
take into account
their thickness, so that they don't become puree.
They should be cooked, but a little solid so that you can remove them from the jar with a fork, without them falling apart.
Canned eggplants, to enjoy all year round.
Photo: Leo Vaca
The cooking liquid should always contain vinegar.
It can be alcohol, wine (they will be darker), apple, rice... But they are not cooked only in this acidic medium: sometimes
the mixture is lightened by using a percentage of water or wine
.
So, the proportion will be 50% vinegar of your choice and the other 50% can be all water, all white wine or a mixture of both options.
The spices to use will be responsible for the flavor.
As mentioned above, chopped or chopped garlic, bay leaves and pepper berries are essential.
Other options to incorporate:
ground chili, oregano, smoked paprika, cloves
, etc.
Adding a
tablespoon of honey to the oil
and spice mixture will give it a special touch and will make it not too acidic.
It is ideal to store the jars of pickled eggplants in the
lower part of the refrigerator
.
Recipes
Pickled eggplant recipe
Pickled eggplants
Watch the step by step of the pickled eggplant recipe
Quick pickled eggplant recipe
Pickled eggplants, quick version
Watch the step by step recipe for quick pickled eggplants
Recipe for canned baby eggplants
baby eggplants
Watch the step by step recipe for canned baby eggplants