Berenjenas de Almagro

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Nonreactive saucepan, at least 4 litres
• •Small heatproof plate or blanching weight
• •Mortar and pestle
• •Paring knife and kitchen scissors
• •2 clean 1.5-litre glass jars with nonreactive lids
• •2 small glass or ceramic pickling weights

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim and slit

   Rinse the aubergines carefully. Snip off only the dry or thorny points of the leafy calyxes, leaving the crowns and stems attached. Starting about 1cm below each crown, make a 3cm lengthwise slit through the belly. Cut a little past the centre but not through the back or base, because the aubergine must open for its filling without falling into two pieces.

   Wear gloves if the calyxes are prickly. Almagro aubergines are small, but some have thorns sharp enough to make the cook remember them.
2. 2

   Blanch until firm

   Bring the 2 litres of water to a boil in a nonreactive pot with 100ml of the vinegar, 25g of the salt and half the fennel fronds. Add the aubergines and hold them beneath the liquid with a small heatproof plate. Return to a gentle boil and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, turning them once. Test at 7 minutes: a small knife should pass into the thick shoulder with light resistance, while the skin and leafy crown remain firm. Lift them out immediately. Reserve 700ml of the strained cooking liquid and let both liquid and aubergines cool completely.

3. 3

   Pound the aliño

   Pound the garlic, cumin seeds and remaining 12g salt in a mortar until coarse and fragrant. Mix in the sweet pimentón, then work in the olive oil and 60ml of the remaining vinegar to make a loose brick-red aliño, the seasoned dressing. Set half aside for filling the aubergines. Keep the rest for the pickling liquid.

4. 4

   Fill and pin

   Open each cooled aubergine gently along its slit. Tuck in one strip of roasted red pepper and about 1 teaspoon of the reserved aliño. Push a pointed fennel splint crosswise through the leafy sides to hold the opening shut. The fennel isn't decoration. It fastens the pepper in place and carries its clean anise scent into the flesh.

5. 5

   Pack under dressing

   Pack the filled aubergines snugly into two clean 1.5-litre glass jars, adding the remaining fennel fronds between them. Whisk the unused aliño with the remaining 240ml vinegar and exactly 700ml of the cooled cooking liquid. Pour it over the aubergines, distributing the garlic and spices between the jars. Press the aubergines below the liquid with clean nonreactive weights. If they aren't covered, move them to a smaller vessel rather than weakening the dressing with plain water.

   The oil will rise and some pimentón will settle. That's normal. A gentle turn of the closed jar brings the dressing together again.
6. 6

   Pickle four days

   Close the jars and refrigerate for at least 4 full days, gently rotating them once each day while keeping the aubergines submerged. They are ready when the vinegar has reached the centre, the garlic has softened and the flesh is tart but still pleasantly firm. Seven days gives a rounder flavour. Serve cool rather than icy, with a little of the pimentón-stained dressing spooned over them.

Chef Tips

• •Buy aubergines no longer than 8cm, with taut skins and fresh green crowns. Larger fruit carries more seed and turns spongy in the dressing. Campo de Calatrava harvests these young; size is part of the dish, not a cosmetic preference.
• •If Almagro aubergines aren't available, use small purple Indian or baby aubergines of similar size. The flesh will usually be softer and the leafy crown less generous, so begin testing after 6 minutes. Round green Thai aubergines have a different, seedier flesh and are a poor substitute here.
• •Wild fennel has a stronger scent than cultivated bulb fennel. If wild stems are unavailable, use 20g of thin cultivated fennel stalk, add 2g fennel seeds to the mortar and secure the aubergines with plain wooden cocktail sticks. The aroma will be gentler, but still recognizably fennel.
• •Use sweet pimentón, not the smoked one by habit. Smoke covers the cumin and fennel, and this pickle isn't asking for it.
• •This is a refrigerator pickle. Use vinegar marked at 6% acidity, keep every aubergine submerged and refrigerate throughout. Don't store the jars at room temperature or process this recipe for the pantry.
• •Bring the aubergines out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving. They are particularly good with bread, firm Manchego and a young Airén wine from La Mancha.

Advance Preparation

• •The roasted pepper may come from a well-drained jar. That shortcut costs the pickle nothing and saves roasting a single pepper.
• •Allow at least 4 full days for pickling before serving. The flavour becomes fuller after 7 days as the garlic, cumin and fennel settle into the vinegar.
• •Kept refrigerated, fully submerged and handled with a clean fork, the aubergines keep for up to 4 weeks. Return the jar to the refrigerator promptly after serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 55g)