Melanzane Sott'Olio

Melanzane Sott' Olio

Recipe by Traditional

This is another traditional Italian canning recipe. Water bath canning with only olive oil is not USDA approved. You can add whatever flavoring ingredients you wish. I always add a few bay leaves and peppercorns to the boiling brine and this time I added garlic and dried chili flakes to the jars. 2.5 lb of eggplant will give you 4 or 5 half pints (a little extra head space is OK as long as the eggplant is covered by the oil.)

Ingredients

• 2.5 lb. Eggplant (I had 2 lb. 12 oz.)
• 1 pint White Wine Vinegar
• Salt
• Fresh Mint, Basil, Garlic, dried Peperoncino to taste
• Olive Oil

Cippoline Sott'aceto

Cippoline Sott'aceto

Recipe by Mary Ann Esposito

Last April we planted about 80 Red Marble Cippoline onions and harvested them late in July. We've already made Cippoline in Agrodolce with some of the medium sized specimens. Today I sorted out the little ones and pickled them Italian style - sott' aceto - under vinegar. This is Mary Ann Esposito's recipe, modified slightly to include canning directions. Although it contains no added sugar this recipe produces wonderfully sweet pickled onions.

Yield: About 1-2 pints
Ingredients

• 2 cups Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Tbs. Whole Black Peppercorns
• 1 Tsp. Whole Cloves
• 2 inch Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Tsp. Coarse Sea Salt
• 1 lb. Small Cippoline onions, red or white

Cooking Directions

1. Peel and trim the onions, cutting a "X" in the root ends with the tip of a small knife.



2. In a stainless steel or other non-reactive sauce pan bring the vinegar to a boil, add the seasonings and simmer for 3 minutes.



3. Add the onions and return the mixture to a boil. Cook another 3 minutes.
4. Remove the pan the the heat, cover, and let the onions steep for three or four hours.
5. Remove the onions from the vinegar mixture and rub off and discard any loose skin.
6. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve.
7. Prepare canning jars according to the manufacturer's instructions.
8. Carefully pack the onions into the jar(s).
9. Bring the vinegar mixture to a boil and pour it over the onions leaving a half inch head space.
10. Close the jar(s) according to manufacturer's instructions and process in a boiling water bath 10 minutes.



11. Let cool and leave undisturbed overnight. Refrigerate any jars that did not seal. Allow to rest for a week before eating.