For many years whenever I visited my daughter and son-in-law in NJ, I had the pleasure of enjoying really wonderful Italian meals. They lived in a mother/daughter home and most meals were brought up to her son's section for dinners. Her mother-in-law was a great and traditional cook, but the best thing I ever tasted (honestly) were her eggplant pickles. After she died, I asked her family members if anyone knew her recipe for the pickles. NO ONE had a clue! Several years later I came across one and thought I would make this, hopeful that the texture and flavor would at least come close.
I was about to find out! The eggplants I had were quite large so I decided to do just one for my experiment.
After peeling and slicing it into strips, salt was added and then the mixture rested for 10 hours! Then it was drained thoroughly and then put into a boiling mixture of water and apple cider vinegar. This mixture was boiled for about ten minutes and strained and the juices pressed out. (I didn't have wine vinegar on hand as the recipe called for.) Then the canning jar was filled with boiling water and the lid and top were sterilized.
Fresh garlic cloves from a neighbor's garden were minced and I added dried parsley (no fresh on hand) to the cooked strips in a bowl and mixed well. After jarring (only 1 pt. yield) the contents were covered with extra virgin olive oil. Tomorrow will be the taste test. I sure hope they are tasty! Even if they aren't as good as I remember hers were, I have high hopes they may come close. Well shall see.
I never seen this dish before. It looks intresting! Hope it turns out good!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for your critique on their taste.
ReplyDeleteToo garlicky! Probably because I used clove from garlic plant freshly pulled from neighbor's garden. Not like I remember Maggie's pickled eggplant.
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