A traditional recipe to prepare  pickled eggplant at home,  very tasty and ideal to enjoy on any occasion of the day. Pickled Eggplants are excellent for when we have little time to cook and we already have it on hand to prepare a sandwich or on the plate, we can even accompany it with any garnish of our choice.

How to make pickled eggplant

They are perfect to accompany an appetizer or as a starter dish, which is why they are a timeless classic although there are many versions and variations in preparation. Let’s also keep in mind that eggplants can be prepared raw, but it requires a longer resting time for the eggplants. Below we will see a classic recipe with its basic ingredients and the step by step of all its preparation:

• 3 Eggplants (preferably large)
• 2 cups of apple cider vinegar
• 3 cups of olive oil
• Herbs like mint
• fresh oregano to taste
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 garlic cloves

With the pickled eggplant, we start a day before 

• We start by washing the eggplants very well and cutting them into 1 cm slices. approximately thick.
• Next we cut each slice into sticks diagonally, the key is to obtain sticks 1 cm wide.
• Next step, we put a cloth or kitchen towel at the base of a colander and then we put a layer of eggplants and add salt.
• We continue with another layer of eggplants and then the salt, and so we continue until we finish alternating.
• Once finished, we cover with a plate or a lid of whatever we have and weigh it down with something so that the eggplants are pressed.
• We leave it like this throughout the night, the idea is that it releases as much liquid as possible, if we don’t have a whole night at least it has to be a few hours.

How to prepare pickled eggplants

• During the morning we remove them from the dryer and place them on a towel. One recommendation is to squeeze them a little with the cloth but do so without fear.
• Then in a large pot we add the vinegar and the same amount of water to bring it to maximum heat.
• When it reaches the boiling point, add the eggplant sticks for 3 minutes, just that and no more.
• After 3 minutes, we remove them from the heat and strain them to spread them on a counter until they cool.
• Meanwhile, chop the garlic cloves and herbs.
• When the eggplants cooled, we added them with the herbs and chopped garlic, mixed everything and adjusted the seasonings.
•  Next step, with the help of a spoon we are going to transfer the preparation to a previously sterilized container with an airtight lid.
• As we place a layer of eggplants, add a layer of olive oil, press with a wooden spoon to remove the air and continue like this until the end.
• Before closing the jar, flatten it with the spoon and add the oil to the top, to finally close it.

How to preserve the pickled eggplant

To sterilize the jars

• In a pot with water we put the lids of the jars until they boil, as soon as we observe the first bubbles we remove them from the pot and cover the jars, still with the lid hot.
• We do the same with the jars, we put them in another pot with water and bring to a boil, we leave it there for approximately 10 minutes or more.
• When the time has elapsed, we turn off the heat and let them cool.
• When they cool, take out the jars, dry and store in a clean, dark place.
• It is essential to place the jars with the lid facing down and in approximately a week we can turn it over.