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drgeekgrl

Pepper and Eggplant in Oil - Preserving the Harvest

E
9 years ago

I am usually skeptical of anything that uses oil in canning - I avoid it like the plague, but I'm also really cautious. I think it took me months to actually try to pressure can chicken stock, and even longer to accept it as safe. (In the meantime, my husband was eating it way before I was - he said it was great. Apparently he trusts my skills more!).

So when looking for new recipes in my books, I came across this pickled eggplant and pepper recipe from "Preserving the Harvest" by Carol Costenbader from 2002. It sounds a lot like the eggplant and pepper stuff I buy at Costco, and would be tons more convenient than the giant jug that I buy that only I eat.

But..... It's pickled in oil. AND garlic. And I didn't you could do that. It does have a high vinegar content in it, but it still calls for water bath canning... Garlic and oil? I thought that just wasn't done....

Thoughts? Do these books get tested? Am I overthinking this one or should this recipe be just crossed out? I hate finding a bad recipe in a book because it makes me nervous about the fidelity of the rest of the book.

Here are the ingredients if you don't have the book:

5 small eggplants, unpeeled and sliced in 1/2 inch slices
4 large red bell peppers
2 large yellow bell peppers
1 cup olive oil
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp pickling salt
1/4 tsp dried pepper flakes
10 large basil leaves

The procedure involves grilling the eggplant, roasting the peppers. Then you heat the oil/vinegar/spices. Put the eggplant and peppers in the jars and top off with the oil/vinegar mixture and process for 20 minutes in BWB.

Is this safe? Or a botulism party waiting to happen?

Comments (4)

  • booberry85
    9 years ago

    I have bad news and good news about this recipe. I'll start with the good news. I had the book Preserving the Harvest. I saw this recipe and made it. I loved it. I gave away jars of it as Christmas gifts. Other people loved it.

    The bad news is, that I found out later, that the recipes in this book are NOT tested. So I haven't made the recipe since. I was told by a woman who used to teach the master preserver classes for the USDA, not to make the recipe for canning anymore. It's ok to make the recipe and keep the jars in the frig, but because of the low acidity of the veggies and the use of oil, its a no-no until tested.

  • pixie_lou
    9 years ago

    It looks to me like the author of this book tried to adapt the nchfp recipe for marinated mushrooms. Which gives me some confidence that this isn't instant death wish in a jar. But the quantities don't match up. And the low acid vegetable substitutions are not allowed per nchfp guidelines. So I guess I would consider it probable death wish in a jar.

    Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP marinated canned mushrooms

  • malna
    9 years ago

    Another option might be to try the Caponata from Small Batch Preserving. Not quite the same, but we like it a lot and it has been tested.

    CAPONATA

    "Caponata is a Sicilian dish served as a salad, side dish or relish. We also like it as an appetizer spread on toasted baguette slices."

    1 small eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch (5 mm) cubes
    1 1/2 tbsp pickling salt (20 mL)
    2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
    1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
    1 cup diced zucchini (250 mL)
    1/2 chopped onion (125 mL)
    3 large cloves garlic, chopped
    1/4 cup chopped stuffed olives (50 mL)
    1 tbsp capers, rinsed (15 mL)
    1 bay leaf
    1 tsp fresh thyme (5 mL) or 1/4 tsp (1 mL) dried
    1/4 tsp each: salt and freshly ground pepper (1 mL)
    1/3 cup red wine vinegar (75 mL)
    2 tsp granulated sugar (10 mL)
    2 tsp olive oil (10 mL)
    2 tbsp tomato paste (25 mL)

    (Read Step-by-Step Guide (below) before proceeding with recipe.)

    Place eggplant in a non-reactive bowl. Sprinkle with salt and stir well. Let stand for 2 hours. Drain eggplant in a sieve and rinse twice. draining thoroughly; press out excess moisture.

    Place eggplant, tomatoes, red pepper, zucchini, onion, garlic, olives, capers, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper in a large roasting pan.

    Heat vinegar, sugar, and oil in a microwavable container until hot, about 1 minute, stir into vegetables.

    Bake in a 350 degree F (18OC) oven for about 1 1/2 hours (1 hour for a convection oven), or until vegetables are softened and liquid has evaporated, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven, discard bay leaf and stir in tomato paste.

    Remove hot jars from canner and spoon relish into jars to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of rim (headspace).

    Process 15 minutes for half-pint (250 mL) jars and 20 minutes for pint (500 mL) jars in a boiling water canner.

    Makes 5 Cups (1.25 L)

  • E
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I was afraid that the recipe wasn't tested. I looked a little around the book, but couldn't find any kind of verification on the recipes. It does look pretty similar to the marinated mushrooms and the marinated peppers recipe. Both use oil in the recipes. I'm the only that likes eggplant in my house, but love it roasted and marinated on a sandwich.

    I may do enjoy a good caponata, but that is a completely beast than a marinated eggplant - still good, but not what I was hoping for.