The field is tilled before the seed is planted, the garden is weeded before the flower blooms,
and the self must know stillness before it can discover its true song.
Ralph H. Blum
The last of summer eggplant are pickled for long keeping, in the Moroccan tradition. Eggplants are slit lengthwise , crisscross, with stems still attached, them simmered in a savory pickling liquid infused with garlic cloves and whole coriander seeds until meltingly tender. They are put in a jar and kept in the pickling liquid, in the fridge- until ready to serve. Before serving, drizzle with a good quality olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro leaves. A zesty condiment to most any meal, these flavorful Moroccan eggplant pickles can be thought of as a chilled eggplant “salad”, of sorts. They are especially delicious, paired with middle eastern style meals or grilled meats like chicken shawarma. Look for smaller varieties of eggplants, in various colors, for the best visual effect.
On the home front…we catered our very last wedding of the season last weekend- whew! I have been happily taking a little time off, being at home, content with cleaning, organizing, rearranging and de-cluttering. This is the time of year Brian goes on his annual backpacking trip with his buddies, and I get the house all to myself for one whole glorious week and it has been heavenly. How good and healthy it is, for relationships to have a little breathing space, like oxygen to a fire.
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Moroccan Eggplant Pickles
by sylvia Fountaine September-19-2014
Picked Eggplants in the Moroccan tradition, drizzled with Olive oil and cilantro
Ingredients
1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 ¼ cups distilled white vinegar (5 percent acidity)
2 ½ Cups water
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
5 large garlic cloves, halved
1 ½ lbs assorted baby eggplants, with stems
olive oil and cilantro for serving
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 ¼ cups distilled white vinegar (5 percent acidity)
2 ½ Cups water
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
5 large garlic cloves, halved
1 ½ lbs assorted baby eggplants, with stems
olive oil and cilantro for serving
In a medium pot, bring first 6 ingredients to a simmer. Slit each eggplant from blossom end almost to stem end twice, crosswise, so that eggplant splays into four “fingers” attached to stem end.
Place eggplant in simmering liquid and gently simmer 8-10 minutes or until eggplant is tender.
Using tongs place eggplant in a jar, stems up, and pour pickling liquid over top. Refriderate 12 hours.
To serve, place eggplant on a platter, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cilantro. Makes one quart jar, and keeps up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield:1 Quart jar
These sound amazing! i love pickled eggplant!
I am so intimidated by eggplant, but this looks like a recipe I can handle. Love your gorgeous photos!
Never would have thought to pickle eggplant before. great idea and recipe!
These look adorable! Can you do it with the big ‘classic’ eggpllant?
I absolutely love eggplant but have never thought of pickling it before. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Can this recipe be canned in hot water bath?
Hi Susie, I’m not sure about the recipe for canning. I think you may want to search around for something specifically for that. You may want to read this…I found some useful links here.
Thanks for the inspiration! I did a slightly different version here, more of an antipasto: http://theweeklypickle.com/week-49-pickled-eggplant/ …delish!
Hi Sylvia,
Very simple and quick to make. I had a quart jar done in less than an hour. I sampled it after five days and thought the white vinegar taste was a little bit strong. I tried again after ten days and it was less noticeable. Have you or anyone else out there tried a different type of vinegar with this recipe? I love finding different ways to preserve the season’s harvest and this was so quick as compared to canning.
Hi Terry! I need to remake this recipe. It’s been a long time…I think a different vinegar would work just fine.
These are so very good. I have half a jar still sitting in the fridge. This will be one of my aubergine go to recipes for years to come. Next batch I will attempt to water bath it. Since I am almost at sea level ten min should do. Have you tried long term storage of them to enjoy in winter?