One of these vegetables can't be pickled as easily as the others
The other day I made eight different versions of pickled eggplant, trying to find one worthy of the canning cookbook I’m writing with Brooklyn chef Kelly Geary. And the consensus was that all eight versions more or less sucked. That’s right, I’m touting myself as a canning pro and my pickled eggplant was no good. You won’t find any of these recipes in the cookbook, that’s for sure.
What’s noteworthy is that I modeled at least two versions after those developed by Joy of Pickling author Linda Ziedrich. Linda Ziedrich, for those of you not up on your canning and pickling ephemera, is regarded as among the top pickling gurus in the country.
Jake and I thought her version was, em, what’s a nice way to say this: Not delicious? Off balance? Way, way, way too vinegar-y? If Linda Ziedrich herself had a hard time coming up with a passable version, is there hope for the rest of us? (Though to be fair, 90 percent of Ziedrich’s other pickling recipes are amazing — a canner can’t hit it out of the park every time.)
The essential problem is that this particular veg, for whatever reason, doesn’t readily lend itself to astringent flavors. Eggplant can have a whiff of sour, such as what you taste on an antipasto platter at an Italian restaurant, but no more. So the trick is coming up with just enough sour to make the pickle safe, but not so much that it throws the delicate flavors of this nightshade into super sour dill pickle territory.
So. It’s back to the drawing board. (Maybe a David Chang-inspired soy, rice vinegar version is the way to go?)
Meanwhile, I’ll probably end up eating all eight pints of this unsatisfactorily pickled eggplant. My canned goods — even the gross ones — are like my children. Children with behavioral problems and learning disabilities. I just can’t bring myself to throw them out.
Nothing like a bowl of bad pickled eggplant for breakfast
All original content © 2012 by Jessie Knadler
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Have you tried a lactobacilic pickling process instead? I’m sure I’m getting that name completely wrong, but it’s where you don’t use vinegar but just loads of salt to pickle a vegetable? It gives a very different flavor. No clue if it can be used for eggplant, but it’s an idea. Salt pickling = awesome sourness, no vinegar required.
Hi Jesse: Great idea! I’ve made sauerkraut and kimchi plenty of times, and I assume the process of fermenting eggplant is the same. Will give it try. Thanks! -JK
Can you lots of olive oil to cut some of the vinegar flavor so you can enjoy this lot more? I know people have octuplets and still love parenting, but 8 kinds of eggplant you don’t like is a lot of bad breakfasts.
Hi Talia: Eating bad eggplant is who I am, what can I say. I’ve never water canned with oil because it’s so low-acid. Have you tried it? Any luck? -JK
Try Kimchi Style on the eggplant we did that at the restaurant it turned out pretty good. Also if you salt and press the eggplant to remove a bunch of the liquid you may have better success with the pickling process. Oh yeah I don’t need any eggs this week the kids are away and I’ve just been eating here:)
Hey Tucker: The eggs will miss you this week. Their loss. I pre-salted all the eggplant and still wasn’t impressed. I do think fermenting the eggplant is the way to go, or pickling it Asian-style, using mild rice vinegar and maybe soy sauce as the base. If it turns out, I’ll bring some by! But only if I think it’ll shock-n-awe you. -JK
My brother-in-law makes awesome pickles from all kinds of vegies – I’ll ask him about eggplant.
I know how you feel about throwing out a jar. It’s not a good end to a lot of hard work and love.
Jessie,
In the second edition of my book, I actually cut the vinegar with an equal portion of water in the Middle Eastern eggplant pickle recipes, because the traditional versions were too sour for me. But you have to understand how these old-fashioned, very vinegary pickles are meant to be eaten. You take a little bite of the pickle, and then a bite of something else, and probably a bite of a something else again before returning to the pickle. People who think cornichons are much too sour don’t always understand that the French typically eat one or two tiny cornichons with a big hunk of pate.
I actually love the diced eggplant pickle in my book. I put pieces into a mixed green salad and add olive oil but no vinegar. This pickle is also a nice accompaniment to hummus and tabouleh.
Don’t forget that some vinegars are much harsher than others, and that a little sugar can help balance a sour pickle.
Hi Linda: Maybe that’s the problem. I’m looking to eat pickled eggplant right out of the jar, and perhaps that particular recipe of yours I tried is best enjoyed eaten IN something like a salad. I admit, I haven’t tried any of the other amazing-sounding pickled eggplant recipes in your book, just the one that called for white wine vinegar and basil (though I used mint in mine). I use your book all the time, and that was one of the first recipes I tried I wasn’t wild about. I think it’s the veg, I really do. Eggplant is a hard one to pickle. Thanks for your feedback. I really appreciate it. I look forward to diluting the vinegar with water next time. -JK
Jessie: I didn’t mean can them with the oil, i meant eat the already canned ones w/ oil — i figured it would turn them into eggplant vinaigrette or something…
Talia: Aaah, I see. Yes, we tried adding oil to them last night. The oil tamed the vinegar somewhat. They were tasty! -JK
You may want to try looking for recipes for persian pickled eggplant – they call it Torshi Badenjam or Torshi-e Liteh. The thing I don’t understand is with pickling – some recipes don’t finish off with a hot water canning bath. Don’t you have to process the jars? On the extension or USDA canning sites – they seem to say the proportions are important for safe canning – it makes it difficult to stray from the recipe. But, my mother made pickled eggplant and never sealed the jars in a hot water bath.
having read several recipies for pickled eggplant and remembering my dads’ pickled hot peppers with eggplant, and other assorted veggies. I have come to the conclusion that the ingredient missing is good old fashioned homemade red wine vinegar! I think I will try one or two the the recipies I have come across using wine vinegar and see what happens. By the way this mix was never process but left in jars in a cool dry place for up to a year