Eggplant and Garlic Spread
From Self-sufficiency
It will yield about 12 pints.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds of freshly picked eggplants
- 1/4 cup of sea salt or canning salt
- 1/2 cup of good olive oil
- 1/2 a cup sesame seeds
- 8 to 10 buds of garlic with cloves just chopped in halves (yes, hole buds, not just cloves. This means around 160 cloves of garlic. Forget romance ! After tasting this, even Pépé Le Pue will run away from you ! :) )
- 1 pound grey shallots, peeled and quartered
- 1 bell green pepper, diced
- 1 bell red pepper, diced
- 1 bell orange or yellow pepper, diced
- 3/4 cups of hot peppers to your choice, diced
- 2 TBS black peppercorns
- 6 cups of white wine vinegar (at least 5 % of acetic acid)
- 2 TBS of mild paprika
- 1 1/2 cups of well packed pale brown sugar (300 g)
Procedure
- Wash, stem and peel eggplants. Slice them in six lengthwise and cut those slices in one inch thick triangles.
- Put them in a large bowl or pan, sprinkle salt and mix to cover eggplant with salt. Put in a large colander and let drip for an hour.
- Rinse well and put them in the center of a towel in small amounts. Form a ball and twist gently the ends of the towel to extract most of water without crushing the flesh too much.
- In a large heavy bottomed stainless steel pan heat the oil and cook the sesame seeds until they begin to pop.
- Add eggplant, garlic, shallots, bell peppers, hot peppers and peppercorns.
- Cook at high for 5 minutes stirring well.
- Add vinegar and bring to a heavy boil.
- Lower the range and let simmer until eggplants are tender (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Add brown sugar and paprika and stir well to dissolve.
- Let simmer for desired thickness, stirring occasionally (about 45 minutes for me).
- Pour in sterilized jars leaving 1/2 an inch of headspace.
- Sterilize in BWB 10 minutes for pints and half pints, 15 minutes for quarts.
- Let sleep for a full month before you try it, if you can.
- It's even better after 4 months of maturation.