Title: Italian Pickled Eggplant
Categories: Italian Pickle Vegetable
Yield: 1 Servings

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Cut off top of eggplant. Cut unpeeled eggplant into strips about the size of french fries. (??? What size french fries, he doesn't say, I just cut them into whatever size strips I feel like.) Put into bowl and sprinkle generously with salt. Put small plate on top, put weight on it. Next day or so (we're never in any big hurry in my family), drain and squeeze out brine. Add more salt and put weight on again. Do this 2 or 3 days until strips are leathery. Wash salt off in running water. Pack into glass jar. About 2 eggplants fill a quart jar. Add 2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced (and, of course, chiles to taste), try to distribute throughout. Add about 2/3 full of white vinegar, fill rest with water. Cover with plastic wrap before putting lid on jar to prevent vinegar from corroding lid. Put away for 2-3 weeks. Will keep much longer in refrigerator.

The best thing about this is it looks like you're eating dark worms (did anyone ever see "Lair of the White Worm"?) and absolutely horrifies the uninitiated. My husband gags every time he sees us chowing down on this stuff--needless to say, he's never even met the Queens relatives and probably never will.

Anyway, I think eggplant is one of those things like eggs--if prepared right, it can be really good, and there are a million different things you can do with it. But if you choose the wrong thing to do, it can be just slimy and disgusting. I guess it does help if you call it an aubergine, though. (That way it sounds more like a color in a J.Crew catalog.)

This one is a family recipe (Italian), and is for vinegar-lovers. Maria

From: Patrick And Maria Mcneal Date: 24 Jul 97 Chile-Heads List Ä

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