This dish would have to be one of my favourite southern Italian dishes, prepared by Nonna every week, it's raw, healthy and tastes soo good!
2 large organic eggplants
Organic Vinegar
Organic Garlic
Organic herbs (oregano, crushed chilli,)
Extra Virgin cold pressed organic Olive Oil
Cut the ends of the eggplant, and slice in rounds very thinly. Keep the skin on. Use a mandoline for uniform shape. Layer the eggplants in a colander and sprinkle salt on each layer. When finished place a plate on top to cover and then place something heavy to add weight to the plate, use a large tin of tomatoes or a big 3lt tin of olive oil.
Leave for a minimum two hours. Then dust of excess salt and squeeze moisture out of eggplants.
Then soak the eggplants in vinegar, ensuring that they are completely submerged for at least 2 hours, you can leave for longer if you like a richer vinegar flavour **. Then squeeze out excess moisture again. If you are going to jar them, add a little olive oil to the bottom of the jar, then layer in jar with selection of herbs (thinly sliced garlic, chilli and oregano) and cover in oil. In sealed jars will keep for at least a year as long as the jars are boiled once sealed.
If serving within the next week, layer in a bowl and sprinkle each layer with the thinly sliced garlic, chilli and oregano, drizzle with oil and enjoy.
**I must add that a mixture of half water/half vinegar boiled can be used. I prefer not to cook the vinegar and thus forgo this step and just submerge in the vinegar, this process also stops bacteria from forming and is better to use if preserving
