Melanzane sott'olio.
Italian antipasto you're going to love.
"In heaven, after antipasti, the first course will be pasta." - Steve Albini, musician
It is a love story. Melanzane sott'olio and my husband are so deeply connected that it becomes difficult for me to keep up. Fortunately, I am the creator of this antipasto, which increases my value enormously.
Once we didn't have any melanzane sott'olio at home and I didn't feel like making any, my husband bought a jar at an Italian shop around the corner. He was so looking forward to it when he put it on his sandwich and was devastated when he took the first bite... and I was glad that I didn't lose my unique selling proposition.
What you'll need for about 4 jars:
- 6 big eggplants
- 1.5 liters of white wine vinegar
- olive oil
- chili
- garlic
- oregano
- salt
Peel and grate the eggplants and put it in a big bowl. Cover it with white wine vinegar and a bit of salt and let it soak for about 2 hours (stir occasionally). After that you take a hand full of the grated eggplants and squeeze squeeze squeeze out all the liquid. Prepare some preserving jars and start filling them layer by layer. Start with olive oil and a piece of chili and garlic each. Then fill the jar with the grated eggplants. Add a little salt and oregano and add chili and garlic again. Pour over some more olive oil and continue with the eggplants. Do this until the glass is full. Before closing the glass, make sure that the olive oil covers everything and that there are no more pieces of eggplant sticking out. This will ensure that the ingredients remain fresh and don't get moldy.
This video will help you understand how it works:
Enjoy it on a piece of bread and you will find yourself in heaven.
Buon appetito !
Love, Carmen