Chilled Eggplant, or Melanzane Fredde: This is an unusual, but tasty eggplant recipe from Versilia, on the Tuscan coast. It could work as either an antipasto, or a side dish.
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- Several eggplants
- Tomatoes
- Capers
- Black olives
- Oregano
Preparation:
Peel several eggplant with a sharp knife and dice the pulp. Salt the pieces well and set them in a colander for about a half hour; this will draw out the eggplants' bitter juices. Rinse the pieces, pat them dry, and fry them in abundant hot olive oil, in batches that are small enough to keep the temperature of the oil from dropping overmuch (the eggplant will absorb it if it does). Drain the pieces well on absorbent towels.In the meantime coarsely chop several tomatoes, and mix into them a few well-rinsed salted or pickled capers, a handful of black olives, and a pinch of fresh oregano. Cook the mixture for a few minutes in a little of the oil in which you fried the eggplant, until the tomato looses its raw appearance and the mixture becomes a sauce. Stir in the fried eggplant and let the dish cool. Perfect on a hot summer evening.
