Spicy Marinated Eggplant Preserve
Eggplant preserves, like this canned marinated eggplant, have long been a culinary staple in Eastern European and Mediterranean cuisines. For our eggplant recipe, also known as aubergine preserve in Europe, we picked globe eggplants and pickled them together with a spicy relish made with bell pepper and garlic. Enjoy it on its own as a vegan main, or pair it with grilled or pan-fried meats for an easy weekday or weekend meal.
Equipment
- large pot with a heavy bottom
- wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- potholders, oven mitts, trivets for hot dishes
Ingredients
- 5.5 lb. eggplants 2.5 kg
- 2 lb. bell peppers 1 kg
- 2 hot pepper
- 2 garlic heads
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup vinegar
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup (approximate) pickling salt for soaking eggplant to remove its bitterness
Instructions
Preparing the Vegetables for pickling:
- Start by thoroughly washing the vegetables under cold running water, using a scrubbing brush or your fingers to remove any visible dirt.
- Check the vegetables for any blemished or spoiled portions and discard them.
- For the eggplants, cube the eggplants into medium size pieces. Put them in a salad spinner or colander and generously salt them with the pickling salt. If using colander, place a large pot under the colander to catch any eggplant juices. Set them aside for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes quickly wash cubed eggplants under the cold running water and set them aside to drain and dry. The eggplant will brown. That is normal and not a concern for this recipe.
Cooking eggplant preserve:
- While the eggplant dries, chop two types of peppers and garlic in a food processor. Add sugar and salt to the mixture. Gently bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer pepper relish for 10 minutes. Set aside while you prepare eggplant
- Pour ¼ of the measured out vegetable oil into a large fry pan. Fry eggplant on all sides till slightly browned. If you pan is not large enough you may have to do this step in batches.
- Once all the eggplant is cooked, scoop it into a pot with bell pepper relish, add remaining oil and gently mix. Bring everything to a low boil. Once the eggplant starts to boil cover it with a lid and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add vinegar, cover it with a lid and cook for another 5 minutes. Your preserve is ready to be canned.
- Make sure to use hot properly sterilized jars. Pack it with piping hot eggplant preserve, seal lids and preserve following processing instructions of your preferred canning method
Notes
The specified in this recipe quantity of ingredients should yield enough pickled eggplant preserve to fill two 32 oz. (1 L.) Mason jars.