Aubergines in olive oil
Melanzane sott'olio is a preserve from southern Italy, especially associated with Calabria, served as antipasto with bread, cheese and cured meats. Aubergine strips salted overnight, blanched in wine vinegar, pressed dry and packed into a jar with garlic, chilli, oregano and mint under olive oil. The vinegar keeps the aubergine firm and slightly tangy rather than spongy. In Italy such jars often sit in the pantry all winter, but at home acidity cannot be checked and vegetables with garlic under oil carry a botulism risk — keep this version in the fridge only and eat it within 7 days.
Your own work in that: 15 min.
- Cutting 20 min
- Salting overnight 720 min
- Blanching in vinegar 15 min
- Drying 60 min
- Packing the jar 15 min
- Maturing in the fridge 2880 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneCut the aubergines
Peel the aubergines and cut into 5 mm slices, then into 5 mm strips, like chips.
Ingredients: 1000 g firm aubergines with few seeds · 30 g coarse salt · 500 ml white wine vinegar (6%)
Salt overnight
Layer the strips in a colander, salting each layer. Cover with a plate, weigh down and leave somewhere cool (in summer, the fridge) for 12 hours — the aubergine releases a lot of bitter liquid.
Ingredients: 1000 g firm aubergines with few seeds · 30 g coarse salt · 500 ml white wine vinegar (6%)
Salt draws out the bitter liquid overnight.Squeeze
Squeeze the strips by the handful as hard as you can and rinse quickly to remove excess salt.
Ingredients: 1000 g firm aubergines with few seeds · 30 g coarse salt · 500 ml white wine vinegar (6%)
Blanch in vinegar
Bring the vinegar to the boil, add the strips in batches and cook each batch 3 minutes, until softened and pale. Add the garlic slices with the last batch. Lift out with a slotted spoon — the vinegar stays for the next batch. Do not lean over the steaming vinegar.
Ingredients: 1000 g firm aubergines with few seeds · 30 g coarse salt · 500 ml white wine vinegar (6%)
Vinegar firms and adds tang.Dry
Squeeze the strips and garlic again in a clean cloth, spread them on a dry cloth and leave 60 minutes to dry completely. Every drop of water dilutes the oil and encourages spoilage.
Ingredients: 1000 g firm aubergines with few seeds · 30 g coarse salt · 500 ml white wine vinegar (6%)
Season
Toss the dry strips with the blanched garlic, chilli, oregano and torn mint.
Ingredients: 3 cloves garlic, sliced · 1 pcs red chilli, sliced · 1 tsp dried oregano · 6 pcs mint leaves · 300 ml olive oil to cover
Pack the jar
Scald a jar of about 750 ml and dry it thoroughly — after pressing you are left with about 450 g of strips, which with the oil will not fit in a 500 ml jar. Pack the strips in layers, pressing with a spoon, and pour in olive oil to cover by at least 1.5 cm. Release air bubbles with a knife.
Ingredients: 3 cloves garlic, sliced · 1 pcs red chilli, sliced · 1 tsp dried oregano · 6 pcs mint leaves · 300 ml olive oil to cover
The oil must cover everything by 1.5 cm.Refrigerate
Close the jar, write the date on it and put it straight into the fridge (4°C at most) for at least 2 days before eating. You have 7 days in total from covering with oil to eat it. Take out only a portion 20 minutes before serving so the oil turns liquid, and put the jar straight back.
Ingredients: 1000 g firm aubergines with few seeds · 30 g coarse salt · 500 ml white wine vinegar (6%)
Before you start
Safety
Aubergine is a low-acid vegetable, and garlic, chilli and herbs under oil create an oxygen-free environment that favours botulism bacteria. Blanching in vinegar lowers the risk, but acidity cannot be checked at home, and the toxin cannot be seen or smelled. Keep the jar in the fridge only (4°C at most) and eat it within 7 days of covering with oil. Freeze any surplus in a container after the 2 days of maturing (up to 3 months). Never store it in the pantry.
Clean fork
Take aubergines out only with a clean, dry fork and push the rest back under the oil each time. Strips poking above the oil spoil first.
How to serve
Serve as antipasto with bread, pecorino and salami, in sandwiches with mozzarella, or tossed with pasta, cherry tomatoes and basil.