Eggplant in Olive Oil Antipasto

Hello Everybody! Today I am sharing with you my Eggplant in Olive Oil Antipasto recipe! This is a very easy recipe to make as an antipasto for any night of the week or even for the holidays. This recipe is like wine, the longer it sits, the better it tastes! This recipe can be kept stored for a couple of weeks to a few months. Watch the full video to follow along as I cook this recipe step by step or continue scrolling for the written recipe.

Ingredients

•     2 Eggplants extra firm, skin removed and sliced

•     3/4 cups White distilled vinegar

•     3-4 Garlic cloves chopped

•     2 tbsp Sea salt

•     1 tsp Hot pepper flakes optional

•     1 tbsp Oregano

•     2 cups Extra virgin olive oil

•     16 oz Mason jar

Instructions

1.     Begin by cutting of both end of each eggplant. Peel off the skin of the eggplants with a potato peeler or knife. Slice the eggplants horizontally into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Cut out any pieces that have a lot of seeds in it. You don’t want a lot of seeds because the pieces with too many seeds will break apart when you squeeze the water out of the eggplants later on. Now slice the eggplants to look like thick french fry slices. Place them into a deep bowl.

2.     Once the slices with too many seeds are removed, add the sea salt and vinegar into the bowl and mix together. Place a dish wide enough to sit on top of all of the eggplant and place a heavy object on top of it, such as a jar of vinegar or water. Store at room temperature for 24 hours. The heavy weight on top helps to squeeze the water out of the eggplant.

3.     After 24 hours, place a cheesecloth over a bowl. Grab a handful of the eggplant and squeeze the excess water out and place into the bowl on top of the cheesecloth. After all of the eggplant has been squeezed, close up the cheesecloth and again squeeze more water out. Move the eggplant around in the cheesecloth and squeeze a couple of more times.

4.     Place the eggplant into a clean, dry bowl. Loosen up the eggplant and then add in the oregano, hot pepper flakes and half a cup of olive oil. Mix all together with a wooden spoon and add in the freshly chopped garlic.

5.     Scoop the eggplant in olive oil into a sterilized mason jar. Once half way filled, add 1/2 cup of olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon and squeeze down into the jar. Scoop in the rest of the eggplant and fill the jar up with more olive oil. Mix again and squeeze down into the jar. If any room left, add more olive oil to reach the top of the jar. Tightly seal the jar.

6.     Store the jar in a cool place, like your basement, for at least a couple of days. This can be kept for several weeks up until a few months.