Categories: Vegetables 
      Yield: 4 servings 
  
      4 md Eggplants (about 3 1/2 lbs.              Extra virgin would be 
           Total)                                   Prohibitive for too many] 
    1/2 c  Salt                              1/4 c  Chopped garlic 
      1 ts White vinegar                       1 ts Crushed red pepper 
      1 ts Extra virgin olive oil [go          1 tb Dried oregano OR 
           For the greenest you can        2 1/2 tb Fresh oregano if available 
           Find]                             1/2 ts Salt 
      3 c  Regular olive oil [all          
  
  Contributed to the echo by: Bill Birner Originally from: La Cucina di 
  Andrea's New Orleans Extra Virgin Recipes 1. Slice the skins off the 
  eggplants, and slice them about 1/4 inch thick from top to bottom. Then 
  slice across to get pieces the size of French fries. Put the eggplant 
  strips in a bowl and toss with the 1/2 cup of salt. 
   
  2. Move the eggplant strips into a colander, arraying them in a relatively 
  uniform layer up the sides. Put a bowl the same size as the colander inside 
  the colander and weigh it down with three or so pounds of weight. [I find a 
  foil covered common solid brick is a handy kitchen tool.] Put the entire 
  apparatus in the sink to drain for 45 minutes. This will remove any 
  bitterness from the eggplant. 
   
  3. Rinse the salt off the eggplant with cold water. Drain it well, then 
  SQUEEZE it dry. Put the eggplant in a bowl with the vinegar, and marinate 
  it for 30 minutes. [It will return to shape like a wet sponge.] 
   
  4. Drain the vinegar from the eggplant and squeeze it dry again. Put the 
  eggplant into a bowl with all the other ingredients. 
   
  5. Pour the contents into a canning jar. Make SURE there is enough olive 
  oil to completely cover all the eggplant about 1/2 inch deep. Tightly seal 
  and refrigerate the jar. Marinate for at least a week; The ideal time is 
  actually three months, and the eggplant will keep getting better even after 
  that.