Marinated eggplant makes the most delicious quick snack and is great to have in the refrigerator ready for an impromptu antipasto.
This recipe combines eggplant with onion, garlic and herbs and uses a less common cooking method that I think you will love.
The inspiration for this recipe.
A few years ago, my zia-in-law (not sure if this is a thing) gave me a cookbook by Dominque Rizzo. Dominque is a Queensland chef who had visited our town during the annual Italian festival. Zia had met her and was duly impressed particularly because they were both proudly of Sicilian descent. She said I would love this book by her new friend, My Taste of Sicily. It sat pretty lonely among my many cookbooks until I rediscovered it the other day. I found this wonderful recipe of eggplant marinated in oregano, Melanzane all’Origano.
Marinated Eggplant
In this recipe the eggplant chunks are cooked in salted boiling water for a few minutes which is a more common method in Italy than it is elsewhere, I think. The warm cooked eggplant then bath in the vinegary, herby oil that is full of slices of onion and garlic. I adore the way the eggplant soaks up the flavours.
Where are the beautiful, purple eggplant?
I wanted to show you these pale, green eggplant. No, they’re not the poor cousin of the vibrant purple eggplant. This is a variety I have in my garden which, even with seeds, they never have the bitterness to the extent of the purple variety. Now after the intense, tropical heat of summer is over my little plant is recovering and starting to present me with little surprises.I love using these for this involtini recipe by Nigella Lawson.
For an impressive antipasto platter serve this delicious marinated eggplant along with my special mixed bruschetta topping, some nice cheeses, salami and olives. Combined with good crusty bread you’ll have a wonderful impressive starter or a light meal.
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I hope you are having a lovely day!
Baci
Marcellina xx
A wonderful combination of eggplant, onions, garlic and herbs which is perfect served with crusty bread.
- 3 large eggplant cut into 2cm (3/4in) chunks, peel if the skin is tough
- salt
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 onions sliced thinly
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- Bring to boil a large pot of salted water and cook the eggplant for around 4-5 minutes. You will need to push the eggplant down with a spoon because the chunks will float as they cook.
- When cooked, drain well. Transfer to a bowl.
- In a frying pan, warm the oil.
- Add the onions, garlic and oregano and fry gently until softened and aromatic. Cook long and slow about 15 minutes.
- Add the vinegar. Stir well.
- Pour mixture over cooked eggplant along with parsley and toss gently.
- Season with salt and pepper. You want need a lot of salt as the eggplant have already been cooked in salted water.
- Allow to stand a least an hour before serving but best made the day before.
- Keeps well in the refrigerator for two weeks
If eggplants are very young and tender there is no need to peel. However if the skin seems tough, it's better to peel the eggplant prior to boiling.
Ciao! I wanted to ask if I have to peel the eggplant before boiling them?
Ciao Romana! Thank you for stopping by! With regards to your question, I do peel the eggplant if I think the skin could be tough. However if you have young tender eggplant, leave the skin on.
Wonderful recipe! If you can’t get to Italy, this is the next best thing! Thanks so much Marcelina!
Absolutely! We can “be” in Italy every day when we enjoy this sort of delicious food!
Oh boy, served on a crusty piece of bread, I bet this recipe is to die for! I have never tried this type of eggplant before- thanks for the heads-up!
If you come across these eggplants at the markets, Fran, you really should try them. Let me know what you think.
I was given some white eggplant which look like your green ones so I am going to try this recipe, which looks delicious. I’m always looking for different ideas with eggplant. Thanks Marcellina for sharing. We love antipasto. Pauline.
Yes, the white ones are lovely too!
Wonderful! Good to know about this variety of eggplant. And I love that onions are mixed up with the pickled eggplant. Much better than what I’ve been served as antipasti in restaurants.
I absolutely love marinated eggplants! My mom would prepare them as you have described them here… truly a wonderful vegetable! Your comment about the zia-in-law made me smile because I also use that terminology and I’m in Canada! Great post Marcellina, thanks for sharing ♥
That’s something I want to eat right now!
Oh Smita, it is sooo good! You’d love it!
Thank you, Smita!
Not only do I love Antipesto Platters, I absolutely LOVE anything Eggplant! I use marinated eggplant on sandwiches and it is delicious! I usually always buy it but I’m definitely gonna try your recipe instead, it sounds incredible!
Yes, you should try it, Sylvie! It’s really easy and great to have on hand.
Yum Yum Yum! I’m going to be making this for my next antipasto platter!
Ooooh, let me know how you like it, Kylie!
I am so happy to have this recipe. An Italian friend gave me a jar of an eggplant appetizer that he served alongside sandwiches but I never got the his recipe. I’m pinning. Thank you!
I think you will like this, Karen. An easy way to prepare eggplant.
I never cooked with those white eggplant, but your recipe is similar to how I preserve eggplants for the winter – melanzane sott’olio.
These white eggplant are wonderful because they don’t have the bitterness of the purple ones.
Egg plants are beautiful