Pickled aubergines

Aubergines are one of my favourite Summer vegetables (which actually is a fruit) and so popular in Greek cuisine. In Greece aubergines come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes - round, oblong, purple or almost black.

There is the variety with an ivory colour, coming from Santorini island in Aegean Sea which are harder to find in vegetable markets of other areas. This variety is very tasty with a smooth, mild taste and less seeds than the others. Often it is planted along with basil so to become sweeter in taste. One of its advantages is the fact that it absorbs much less oil so it is a better choice for frying, if of course you can find any in big cities

In the past it was "a must" to soak the aubergines in salted water before cooking so to remove bitterness. Nowadays this is not so much the problem, it seems that aubergines have evolved... For sure the other popular Greek variety, the one with the thin oblong shape and the beautiful purple colour known as "Tsakonikes" were always as sweet as honey and it was never necessary to soak in water first. This variety, coming from around the Peloponnesian town of Leonidio (also as "Argeitikes" because they can also be found in Argos area), ripens earlier in this area and the fruit is used in many combinations in cooking and even in confectionery with the main product being the traditional "dessert spoon" sweet. Since 1966, "Tsakonikes" aubergines are included among 317 European products with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), guaranteeing the producers of Leonidio the exclusivity of cultivation of the specific variety under strict production standards

One great, traditional recipe in Greek cuisine are the pickled aubergines. Baby aubergines are used which in the end they give an excellent meze which can be served all year round

Recipe of Evi Voutsina,

from "KATHIMERINI " newspaper

Ingredients:
20 small aubergines
2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2 large bunches of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (only the leaves)
a few sprigs of parsley
salt
plain vinegar
10-15 medium carrots
1 tea-cup finely chopped walnuts
3 tbsp of fennel seeds, half crushed and half kept whole
1 tbsp of pink peppercorns
olive oil

Method:
Remove the stalks and hard leaves from the aubergines. With a pointy, sharp knife slash them in two places lengthwise, but not from the one end to the other.

Put in a large pot with boiling water and cook until half-softened. Drain in a colander and rinse under running water.

Boil the parsley sprigs in some water until they are soft enough to be flexible and then drain in a colander.

Mix the garlic slices and the chopped parsley in a bowl and fill with the mixture the slashes on the aubergines. Tie each aubergine up with the parsley sprigs so they don’t open and place them the one next to other in a large container.

Dissolve 2 handfuls of salt in a litre of water. To test, float an egg in it – if the water comes halfway up the egg, the salt-water proportion is correct. If not, add more salt and test again.

Pour the water over the aubergines and add enough vinegar until covered. There should be at least half as much vinegar as salt water. Gently shake the container to mix the vinegar with the salt water, cover the container with its lid and leave for 20-30 days, stirring carefully every so often.

Take the aubergines out of the container and drain on kitchen paper. Peel the carrots and boil (or bake) them until tender, but not too soft. Leave aside to cool.

Take 4-5 glass jars (sterilized), enough to hold the eggplants and carrots in layers and sprinkle in between with the fennel seeds and the walnuts.

Add the peppercorns and fill the jars with olive oil. Leave in a dark place for about a month to mature before using.

Then get the amount of aubergines you need, along with their oil, and serve on a plate.