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Mekhalel Betingan

This easy pickle makes a ready delicious mezze.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 2 quarts

Ingredients

2 pounds eggplants
Salt
1 1/4 cups red- or white-wine vinegar
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano
Olive oil

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Peel and slice the eggplants. Arrange them in a sieve or colander, sprinkling each layer with salt. Leave for 1/2 hour to allow the bitter juices to drain away. Rinse off the salt, then poach the slices for 5–10 minutes in boiling vinegar with enough added water to cover, until soft.

    Step 2

    Drain well, and arrange the slices in layers in a glass jar, putting a little crushed garlic and oregano between the layers. Fill the jar with oil and close it tightly.

    Step 3

    The eggplants will be ready after about a week and will keep several months.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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