anyone know how to preserve aubergines?

[confused of chalus]

I'm up to my ears in aubergines.

Not complaining, as I can cook them up and/or freeze dishes as soon as it gets cooler here. But what I'd really like to do is preserve them like italian deli's do, in oil. But the few recipes I've found keep mentioning botulism!

That puts me off a bit, to say the least! So has anyone got a foolproof way of preserving them without killing anyone, and how long would they keep?

[mithun86]

Hi

If stored in the fridge they will last approximately 1 week, they don't freeze well, and will go brown if cut.

[Pierre ZFP]

Botulism is rare but it does happen.  Chillis and tomatos being other things that can suffer the same.

So here's what I do.  Slice the aubergines then sprinkle with lots of salt and put in a colinder, lots of water will come out, this removes and bitterness and helps with the next step. 

After an hour or more, rince the salt off then lightly fry the slices in olive oil. I use a griddle pan to get nice stripy lines - Isn't that sad.

When the slices are cool, bag them up and freeze.  To use, defrost and warm up in the oven and you have roasted veg!

[NormanH]

Don't pick them [6]

[nectarine]

My (Italian) mother's recipe:

Slice, sprinkle with salt, leave and let water drain off. Pat very dry, then fry gently in good olive oil until they are golden but still have solid texture. Chop up plenty of garlic, then layer the aubergines and garlic into jamjars and use the frying oil, plus some fresh, to fill the jars. Store in a cool place for a couple of months .... absolutely delicious with cold meats.

[5-element]

I would slice then lengthwise, drizzle some olive oil on, herbs and salt and pepper, and grill them. Then put them in old margarine tubs, and freeze them.

Freezing always feels safer for me than preserving, especially with the current botulism scare.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]

Botulism is rare but it does happen.  Chillis and tomatos being other things that can suffer the same.

[/quote]

Wise to be careful: the bacteria that produces the toxin is killed at temperatures above 121°C and cannot thrive in acid conditions, which does provide ways of minimising risk.

I confit the aubergines by dicing them up and cooking them very slowly in lots of olive oil with finely sliced onions, ground pepper, a little salt and some lemon juice for the taste & for the acid. I cook them for up to an hour like this and for the last few minutes monitor the temperature with a sugar thermometer to ensure that they are heated up to 130°C before bottling them. So far this hasn't killed me, though I'm not offering any guarantees, and the results taste good.

[Mr Ice-ni]

[quote user="The Riff-Raff Element"]

So far this hasn't killed me, though I'm not offering any guarantees, and the results taste good.

[/quote]

Thank you RRE for making me laugh. I think I know what you mean but I prefer that which you have written.

John

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Mr Ice-ni"]

[quote user="The Riff-Raff Element"]

So far this hasn't killed me, though I'm not offering any guarantees, and the results taste good.

[/quote]

Thank you RRE for making me laugh. I think I know what you mean but I prefer that which you have written.

John

[/quote]

Ah. Oh. Yes. Must read before posting. But you get my drift.

[confused of chalus]

Well this is a surprise! I'd completely given up on this thread ever attracting any replies. So thanks everyone. I've been frying and freezing; smoking and freezing; making curry and eating/freezing. And still they come!!! But lots of good recipes on Good Food web site.

Kathy

[pachapapa]

Congélateur : laver, peler (ou pas) et couper en tranches d’un centimètre d'épaisseur environ. Blanchir quatre minutes dans de l'eau à laquelle on aura ajouté un peu de jus de citron. Refroidir, égoutter et mettre dans des sacs hermétiques au congélateur, en glissant un morceau de papier ciré entre les tranches. Elle s’y conservera huit à dix mois. Cuire sans décongeler.