Melanzane Sott’Olio



2 large eggplants
1 Cup Wine vinegar (white or red)
1 Cup Water
2 Lg. Peeled Garlic Cloves

Spices:
1 Lg. Sage leaf
Handful of Fresh Parsley
2 Lg. Leaves Fresh Basil

Cut the ends off the eggplant and slice very thinly (peel if desired).  Rounds or slice a big one lengthwise.

Layer the slices on a cookie sheet, sprinkling each layer with sea salt.   Put a weight on the slices to press down. A heavy plate or pan works.

Leave them for about 4 hours. Remove excess salt and squeeze them dry.

In a large saucepan, bring a mixture of ½ water, ½ vinegar to a boil.  Reduce to simmer. Include a few cloves of peeled garlic in the water.

Cook batches of eggplant slices for about two minutes each, remove from the mixture and set aside. You can either leave to dry on an absorbent towel for 30 minutes or squeeze excess moisture from the slices directly.

Use quality olive oil and layer the eggplant and oil in a baking dish to marinate in the refrigerator for a 2 hours before serving.

If you like “spicy” you can add a few pepper flakes to the olive oil marinade.