Italian Pickled Eggplant

Italian Pickled Eggplant

adapted from Sip & Feast

The father of an old friend used to make marinated eggplant for her. I've never been able to find a recipe that came close to the deliciousness he gave her, until now.

After storing the eggplant in the refrigerator, the oil may congeal. You can run the container under hot water for a few minutes or put it in the microwave for 10-15 second intercals until it loosens up.

Serve with toasted Italian or French bread or on crackers. It makes a great addition to as salad as well.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1/2 lb. eggplant, peeled and cut into 1" x 1/4" strips
1 Tbsp. hot cherry peppers, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 small clove garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 cup white vinegar
2 cup water

1. Place a single layer of eggplant strips on paper towels; Sprinkle with salt; Cover with more paper towels.
2. Put baking sheets on top of the top towels and weight them down with a few cans.
3. Change the paper towels as they become saturated, about every hour for 6 hours.
4. After the eggplant has released its water, rinse the salt off in a colander. 
5. Try to squeeze out more liquid from the eggplant
6. Bring a medium pot, bring the water and white vinegar to a boil; Add the rinsed, squeezed eggplant and cook for no more than 2-3 minutes.
7. Strain eggplant strips and rinse to cool. 
8. Squeeze out more moisture one more time and lay eggplant on paper towels to dry.
9. In a container evenly layer the half of the eggplant strips, half of the cherry peppers, half of the garlic and half of the parsley; Repeat layering. 
10. Press down the eggplant with a spoon and top the jars with the oil. The eggplant should be completely covered.
11. Store the jars in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Enjoy!