L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES FRANK FARIELLO A s we enter into late summer, it's once again the traditional time of year for putting up the season's boun- tiful vegetables for enjoy- ment in the colder weather months. Some vegetables, like tomatoes, take to strai- ght up canning. They are briefly cooked, either peeled and left whole (for pelati) or milled (for passata) before being sealed in mason jars. Other vegetables can be prepared sott'aceto, literally "under vinegar" aka pickled, as in the much loved antipa- sto known as giardiniera. Today we're taking a look at yet another technique for putting up vegetables, known as sott'olio, literally "under oil," using eggplant as our prime example. You cut the e g g p l a n t i n t o s t r i p s , s a l t them overnight, then lightly parboil them in a mixture of vinegar and water, and final- ly cure them in oil with garlic and herbs. V e g e t a b l e s p r e s e r v e d sott'olio may not be quite as piquant as those sott'aceto, but they're every bit as tasty. So tasty, in fact, you won't want to wait until winter to enjoy them, whether as anti- pasto on their own or as a topping for bruschetta, as part of a rice salad or as a side for roasted or grilled meats. Ingredients Makes one large mason jar • 2 - 3 m e d i u m e g g - plants, about 750 g-1 kilo/2 lbs • A pinch of salt • 500 ml/2 cups white wine vinegar • 500 ml/2 cups water • 2 - 3 c l o v e s g a r l i c , thinly sliced • 2-3 sprigs of fresh oregano or mint (or both) • 1-2 peperoncini, cut into small pieces, or red pep- per flakes (optional) Directions • Peel the eggplants, slice them and then cut the slices into strips about the size of your little finger. • S a l t t h e e g g p l a n t strips generously and lay it in a colander inside a bowl. Top with a small plate and weigh the plate down. (A small can of tuna, beans or tomatoes works well). Leave to rest overnight. • The next day a consi- d e r a b l e a m o u n t o f l i q u i d should have drained into the bowl. Discard that. Take the eggplant strips by the hand- ful and squeeze out as much of their remaining liquid as you can. • B r i n g t h e v i n e g a r and water to a boil in a sauce- pan. Add the eggplant by the handful and boil each batch for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool completely. • When the eggplant s t r i p s a r e c o o l e n o u g h t o handle, squeeze them again of their excess liquid. • Now, place the egg- plant strips in a mason jar or other air-tight container, layering them with bits of g a r l i c , p e p e r o n c i n o a n d herbs. • P r e s s e v e r y t h i n g down to compact the con- tents of the jar, then add as much olive oil as you need to c o v e r t h e e g g p l a n t s t r i p s completely. • Close the jar tightly and let it rest in a cool, dry place for at least a couple of days, preferably a week, befo- re consuming. Notes on preserving sott'o- lio • The sott'olio techni- que is hard to mess up. But if you want best results, there are a few tips to bear in mind when it comes to the ingre- All vegetables can be preserved in olive oil ( © Filippophotographer | Dreamstime.com) Melanzane sott'olio (Eggplant cured in oil) Continued to page 32

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