I’m getting increasingly keen on making preserves. It takes me right back to my Grandad’s little kitchen and the smell of boiling vinegar. I miss him, and in a funny way, creating such boiled and jellied concoctions in my own family kitchen makes me feel closer to him and his memory.
To help us get a little more adventurous in our cooking, we’ve been working our way through Jams, a new cookbook by Gina Steer (Flame Tree, £9.99) that’s crammed with straightforward, easy to follow recipes for traditional jams, jellies, curds, chutneys and pickles.
This week, we had a go at preserving aubergines, which resulted in soft, pickled slices of aubergine, intensely flavoured with coriander, chilli, capers and five spice. A slice or two dotted through a salad adds an unusual zing.
The publishers kindly agreed to let me share the recipe with you. Let me know if you try it.
Note: I found that you really do need to follow the instructions and dry them really, really well at stages 2 and especially stage 3 or the texture will be wrong and they’ll be super strong flavoured! Also, you do need to give them those 2 weeks at least for the flavour to start to mellow.
Here’s how to make preserved aubergines. Makes about 450 g/1 lb
Ingredients
- 450 g (15.9 oz) aubergines trimmed and sliced
- 2 tbsp salt
- 300 ml (10.1 floz) water
- 300 ml (10.1 floz) white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp whole allspice
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 tsp capers rinsed
- 50 g (1.8 oz) pitted olives finely chopped
- 1 red chilli finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
- 300 ml (10.1 floz) olive oil
Equipment
Instructions
- Layer the aubergines with 1–2 tablespoons of the salt in a colander standing on a tray to catch the water extracted. Leave for 8 hours, then remove and discard the extracted water.
- Pat the aubergine slices dry with kitchen paper, place in a saucepan with the remaining salt, water, vinegar, allspice and peppercorns. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Drain the aubergines, discarding the vinegar mixture. Place the aubergines on plenty of absorbent kitchen paper. Leave until completely dry, replacing the paper as necessary.
- In a small bowl, mix the capers, with the olives, chilli and coriander.
- Layer the aubergines with the chopped caper mixture in one or two sterilized glass jars with tight-fitting lids. Pour in sufficient oil to cover. Seal and store for at least 2 weeks before using.
Store in a cool place.
Have you tried preserved aubergines before?
Here’s the recipe for preserved aubergines again in a printable format.
Preserved aubergines
Ingredients
- 450 g (15.9 oz) aubergines trimmed and sliced
- 2 tbsp salt
- 300 ml (10.1 floz) water
- 300 ml (10.1 floz) white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp whole allspice
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 tsp capers rinsed
- 50 g (1.8 oz) pitted olives finely chopped
- 1 red chilli finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
- 300 ml (10.1 floz) olive oil
Instructions
- Layer the aubergines with 1–2 tablespoons of the salt in a colander standing on a tray to catch the water extracted. Leave for 8 hours, then remove and discard the extracted water.
- Pat the aubergine slices dry with kitchen paper, place in a saucepan with the remaining salt, water, vinegar, allspice and peppercorns. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Drain the aubergines, discarding the vinegar mixture. Place the aubergines on plenty of absorbent kitchen paper. Leave until completely dry, replacing the paper as necessary.
- In a small bowl, mix the capers, with the olives, chilli and coriander.
- Layer the aubergines with the chopped caper mixture in one or two sterilized glass jars with tight-fitting lids. Pour in sufficient oil to cover. Seal and store for at least 2 weeks before using.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: we were sent the Jams cookbook for review. No payment was received. all posts are 100% honest.
More amazing aubergine recipes to try
Get Your Kids to Eat Anything
My debut cookbook, Get Your Kids To Eat Anything is available now from all good bookshops!
It’s so much more than a cookbook, it’s a 5-Phase programme designed to take you through a meaningful, simple and sustainable journey to end fussy eating.
Since its release in March 2019 Get Your Kids To Eat Anything has been changing mealtimes in households across the country and has become an Amazon #1 best-seller.
Got a question, feedback or idea? Comment here!