Melanzane Sott'Olio Veloce
Melanzane Sott'Olio Veloce·(meh-lahn-ZAH-neh soht-OH-lee-oh veh-LOH-cheh)
La Conserva: Late Summer Rituals and the Winter Pantry
In the old days, putting up the last of the summer eggplants was a multi-day act of agricultural survival. Today, we don't have three days, but we still crave that sharp, garlicky, olive-oil-soaked punch of the old country. Modern eggplants lack the bitter sting of their ancestors, meaning we can skip the overnight purge. Better yet, we can use a standard potato ricer to bypass hours of tedious air-drying. It is a brilliant, entirely authentic hack from the modern Italian kitchen that delivers massive, undeniable flavor on a Tuesday night—no terrifying hot-water canning required.
Before you start
Combine the extra virgin olive oil and neutral oil in a small vessel.
Mixing extra virgin olive oil with a neutral seed oil like sunflower or canola prevents the preserve from solidifying completely in the cold refrigerator, a highly authentic trick of mid-century Italian home cooking.
Ingredients
- Japanese or standard globe eggplants2 lb
- coarse kosher salt2 tbsp
- water2 cup
- white wine vinegar2 cup
- garlic3 small clove
- red pepper flakes1 tsp
- dried oregano1 tbsp
- extra virgin olive oil3/4 cup
- sunflower or canola oil3/4 cup
Method
- 01
Purge the eggplant of excess moisture to firm its cellular structure.
Place the matchstick-cut eggplant in a colander set over a bowl, massage the coarse salt evenly into the layers, then weigh it down with a plate and a heavy pot for one to two hours.
- 02
Blanch the eggplant in a highly acidic bath to ensure food safety and build the foundational tang.
Rinse the eggplant briefly under cold water to remove excess salt. Bring the water and white wine vinegar to a rolling boil in a large pot, drop in the eggplant for exactly two to three minutes until tender but firm, and remove immediately with a spider.
- 03
Expel the remaining liquid using a potato ricer.
This is the crucial step to bypass overnight air-drying. Load handfuls of the boiled eggplant into a potato ricer and squeeze firmly to expel the vinegar-water, then transfer the dry pucks to a bowl and gently break them apart.
- 04
Dress the dry eggplant and pack it tightly into a clean glass jar.
Toss the strips with the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Pack the mixture into a mason jar, pressing down firmly to eliminate air pockets, leaving about an inch of space at the top.
- 05
Submerge the preserve entirely in the oil blend and refrigerate.
Pour the mixture of olive and neutral oils over the eggplant, using a chopstick to slide down the insides of the jar and release any trapped bubbles so the vegetables are submerged by at least half an inch of oil. Seal and refrigerate overnight to let the sharp, bright vinegar mellow into the rich oil and aromatics.
Notes
Seek out Japanese or Chinese eggplants if possible.
Their thin skins and lack of seeds closely mimic the traditional Italian long eggplants, though standard globe eggplants work perfectly well once peeled and trimmed of their seedy cores.
Substitute fresh mint for oregano if your family hails from Puglia.
Pugliese versions strictly require pristine white flesh and often swap dried oregano for fresh chopped mint, offering a brilliant, bright contrast to the heavy oil.
Consume within two weeks.
Because this is a quick refrigerator pickle rather than a pressure-canned preserve, it must live in the cold. If the oil solidifies slightly in the fridge, let the jar sit at room temperature for fifteen minutes before eating.
From Cook Italian in America.