This is Mamma Rosa's real, genuine, eggplant recipe. It is always to be found on her table as a go-to side dish. It's a very simple dish but that comes with a catch: it's crucial to start with excellent, flavorful eggplants.
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Those massive, waterlogged aubergines available at most grocery stores will result in a pretty bland dish. Look for small eggplants; we had much luck with the Indian variety.
Watch the Pasta Grammar video where we make this recipe here:
Serves 3-4.
For this recipe, you will need:
Red wine vinegar (amount will vary, see below)
10 Indian eggplants, quartered (all the other ingredients are to taste so feel free to adjust however you like)
1-2 garlic cloves, diced
Dried oregano to taste
Dried fennel seeds to taste
Dry or fresh chili pepper, chopped (optional and to taste)
Extra virgin olive oil
Fill a large pot of water about 3/4 full with water. Next, add plenty of red wine vinegar. Vinegar strength varies A LOT, so you'll have to adjust to taste. The water should obviously dilute it, but it should still taste pretty strongly of vinegar. If you have a very strong vinegar it may only take a few cups but a weak vinegar might require nearly a half-and-half mixture. Trust your judgement, and you can always cheat and add a little vinegar later on if it proves to be too weak.
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Bring the water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the eggplants and boil them until the are fork tender (about 10 minutes). Drain and place into a large bowl. Season them with the diced garlic and oregano, fennel and spicy pepper to taste.
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Finish by generously drizzling in olive oil and stirring all together. Make sure you have enough oil to completely coat the eggplants. Drizzle with a little more vinegar if you find it necessary.
Serve cold. Buon appetito!