My obsession with melanzane sott'olio began on a summer trip to the Aeolian Island of Salina. My brother bought a jar of the pickled, oil-packed eggplant from a woman selling it out of her living room window, and, paying a hefty eight euros for it, we thought we might have just been a couple of suckered tourists. But we opened the jar for lunch, along with some cured meats, cheese, and bread, and suddenly we found ourselves trying to not eat all of it in one sitting. The strips of eggplant were firm and almost chewy, tasting lightly of brine and heavily of the olive oil and herbs used in the marinade. I haven't quite figured out how this woman mastered the texture of the eggplant (mine is definitely softer), but I've managed to hit on a taste close to what I remember, at least enough so that it should hold me over until I can get back to Salina and buy this woman's supply out. - vvvanessa

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