Marinated Eggplant

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs eggplant, peeled and cut into 3×1/4-inch sticks
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups white-wine vinegar
  • 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • About 1 1/2 cups olive oil, divided
  • Accompaniment: crusty Italian loaf

Instructions:

  1. Toss eggplant with 1/4 cup salt and drain in a colander set over a bowl, covered, at room temperature 4 hours. (Eggplant will turn brown.) Discard liquid in bowl.
  2. Gently squeeze handfuls of eggplant. Bring water and vinegar to a boil in a medium pot. Add eggplant and boil, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in colander, then set colander over a bowl and cover eggplant with a plate and a weight (such as a large heavy can).
  3. Continue to drain, covered and chilled, 8 to 12 hours. Discard liquid in bowl. Gently squeeze handfuls of eggplant to remove excess liquid, then pat dry.
  4. Stir together eggplant, garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 cup oil in a bowl. Transfer to a 1-quart jar or other container with a tight-fitting lid and add just enough olive oil to cover eggplant. Marinate eggplant, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Contains:

Serves: makes a lot

Prep Time:

Credits:
adapted from www.epicurious. com

Notes

The nice thing about marinating anything is that you don’t have to do much. Time takes care of all the heavy labor.