Comments on: Preserving Eggplant In Olive Oil

By: Ed Bruske

Ed Bruske — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:29:09 +0000

Rachka, for me, raw eggplant skin does not hold much appeal. Other than that, I don’t know what would happen. I’ve never tried it.

By: Rachka

Rachka — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:11:40 +0000

What happens if you don’t peel the eggplants?

By: Emma

Emma — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:02:25 +0000

Hi Ed,
When you made the eggplant did you notice the oil mixture turned greenish (very vibrant green)? I am assuming the olive oil or residual vinegar extracted the chlorophyll from the basil leaves but I am not certain. I opened the jars and they smell just fine so I assume they are safe to eat. Just curious if you observed this phenomenon…
Thanks!

By: Ed Bruske

Ed Bruske — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:19:29 +0000

Brian, thanks for pointing this out. There is always a potential for botulism with unprocessed, low-acid vegetables. But the risk with garlic in oil is so low, I think you are more likely to be struck by lightning. The last reported case, I believe, was 20 years ago. In addition, the risk you are citing refers to garlic kept in oil only. I would think that the addition of vinegar in this recipe would mitigate somewhat against the problem. All of the ingredients discussed here were grown in my garden and prepared in my kitchen. I have no worries. But if you did have a concern, do not plan on keeping this eggplant preparation longterm, or keep it in the freezer.

By: Brianp

Brianp — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:33:50 +0000

What about botulism?

Storing garlic in oil has the potential to spawn the bacteria spores that cause botulism – Clostridium botulinum.

If stored in the fridge for short periods ( a week or two) it should be okay. But a year? Risky.

By: Ed Bruske

Ed Bruske — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:36:09 +0000

Kate, I am so glad to hear they eat this preserved eggplant in Italy. I can easily picture it on a table of hors d’oeuvres and crudite at a country trattoria.

Julia, you bring up a very good point. Sometimes you have too much of a good thing and get tired of eating it. Preserving it for the pantry instead is a great Plan B.

Joanna, I agree. The idea of raw aubergine isn’t obvious. But then by the time you open the jar, its been pretty well “cooked” by the intial salt and the time spent in the olive oil with all those flavorings.

Princess, we grew two kinds of eggplant this year: Ping Tung–the long, skinny Asian variety–and Black Beauty, the more traditional eggplant. I used some of both. There’s really not much difference once you remove the skin.

By: epr1ncesss

epr1ncesss — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:54:33 +0000

This looks so yummy and I can’t wait to try it. Do you think it would work well with Chinese eggplant also?
Thanks!

By: Joanna

Joanna — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:44:51 +0000

Ed this is terrific … what a great recipe, I had no idea you preserve aubergine without cooking it. Can’t wait to get going

Thanks
Joanna

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:49:56 +0000

I’ll have to try this! I still have plenty of eggplant in the garden, but I’m a little tired of eating it right now…

By: katehill

katehill — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:09:54 +0000

I remember eating this ‘pickled oil-preserved’ eggplant in Italy on my first ever European adventure 25 years ago. The taste stays in my memory still; thanks for the reminder and the recipe!