Argentina is famous for its chimichurri sauce, which usually accompanies meats. This recipe for marinated eggplant has a similar type of flavour with herbs and vinegar. However, it is vegetarian and the marinade recipe is even simpler than chimichurri. Although I love making this dish, I actually cannot remember where I originally found the recipe!
A few tips to get the consistency and flavour right. Don’t skip the step of salting and rinsing the eggplant. That helps to get rid of the bitterness and will be worth the wait. Also, do not add too much of the vinegar sauce to the final mixture. It is quite concentrated and can be overpowering. Finally, serve the marinated eggplant with either bread or salad. They can be eaten on their own but the flavour is intense so it goes well with an accompaniment. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 medium sized eggplants (aubergines), washed and peeled
coarse salt
1 cup vinegar (red wine or white)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 T. dried parsley
1 T. dried oregano
2 cloves crushed garlic
crushed red pepper to taste
salt to taste
Instructions
First, trim the ends off the eggplants. Cut them in half lengthwise, and then lay them flat side down and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Put the slices layer upon layer in a roasting pan. Salt each layer with coarse salt and let sit for at least 2 hours.
Next, drain and rinse the eggplant. Put the eggplant, vinegar and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the eggplant until it looks soft and translucent, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl. When the eggplant has cooked through add the pieces to the bowl with the oil and herb mixture. You can choose to add a bit of the vinegar liquid, but a lot of it will have soaked into the eggplant already. Mix well. Let cool then store in a jar in the refrigerator. Eat within a week.
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