Eggplants in oil without vinegar, added,
no cooking, just with salt, garlic, oregano, chili pepper for those who like it, and sunflower oil.
The vinegar forms from the fermentation of the ingredients during processing.
This was the first thing my mother-in-law taught me. I was just 16 years old and was amazed at how without using vinegar a reaction of flavor was created that is as if it were there. By using a trick, that is to combine all the ingredients when putting the eggplants under salt, and then under weight to let them shed the black vegetable water.
By doing this, the eggplants remain pressed under their liquid for 24 hours, and by not exposing them to air, they do not turn black.
Recipes thought for you:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 1 Day
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: about 3 jars
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 560.44 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 7.08 (g) of which sugars 3.59 (g)
- Proteins 1.17 (g)
- Fat 60.23 (g) of which saturated 6.23 (g)of which unsaturated 51.24 (g)
- Fibers 3.47 (g)
- Sodium 2.54 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s go shopping
- 4.4 lbs eggplants
- 10 cloves garlic
- 3 chili peppers (small dried optional)
- 4 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1.06 quarts sunflower seed oil
Tools
What we need to prepare
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Mandoline
- 4 Jars
- Pot
- Colander
- Towel absorbent cloth
Preparation of Eggplants in Oil without Vinegar
Wash the eggplants, remove the stems and peel them.
You can use the mandoline so the slices will all be of the same size,
The slices should be this thickness, you can also cut them in half depending on the size of the eggplants.
For this quantity, I used the pot I cook pasta with, but it could be any container, even plastic,
the most important thing is that you find a colander like the one used to steam cook or another pot that fits inside the first.
Like this. So look among your utensils at home and find something similar.
Additionally, after a few hours, the level of the eggplants will lower, so you need a third tool, even a plate that can fit inside the pot will suffice.
I used this steel bowl.
Let us start the operation:
Peel 10 cloves of garlic and cut them in half.
If you want your eggplants slightly spicy, get some dried chili peppers, and slice them.
Form a layer of eggplants at the bottom of the pot,
Sprinkle them generously with salt,
Then abundant oregano, and then..
Some garlic cloves.
Continue the operation until the pot is filled beyond the rim.
You can even exceed with the quantity because as soon as we put the weight on top they will go down.
At this point, place the colander or the container you prepared earlier,
Now you have 2 options: the first is to put some full bottles inside as weight, at least 11 lbs, or
Or place another pot filled with water on top, in this case, I had the pressure cooker, but it was just a coincidence.
After the first 2 hours, I realized that the colander could not go down anymore, so..
I removed it, and..
I replaced it with the bowl, you can also use a plate, the important thing is that it fits inside the pot.
I put the weight back on and waited for the 24 hours to pass.
As you can see, I put the pot in a sink because the vegetable water might overflow.
Meanwhile, sterilize the jars by boiling them for 15 minutes, then turn them upside down and let them dry until the next day.
Now that the 24 hours have passed, I remove the weight, and, without removing the plate or bowl, I flip the pot to let the liquid out.
Place all the slices on a towel, fold the edges and dab.
Fill the jars, gathering the garlic cloves and chili slices as you find them (if you added them), and add oil as you go.
Fill the jars up to the beginning of the threads, without pressing too much, cover everything with sunflower seed oil.
Do not immediately store the jars in the pantry, but keep them in sight for another 2 days to see if the oil level drops, if so add more.
Now you just have to wait at least a month, better 2, and you’ll see the goodness that will come out.
You can serve them as an appetizer or make a sandwich; I love the eggplant and provolone sandwich.
Here are the Eggplants in Oil without Vinegar ready. See how white they are?
preservation
Eggplants in oil without vinegar. They can be preserved in a cool pantry for up to 1 year, ensuring the oil level is always high. Once opened, the jar should be stored in the fridge and consumed within 1 week, hence it is preferable to use small jars.
NOTE: Some food preservation methods for long periods, as in this case, require specific measures to avoid the development of harmful bacteria for our health. Please ensure that you follow all correct procedures and preparation methods when preparing these types of recipes.
