Skip to main content
Main

Milinciani Sutt’ Oghiu

Pickled eggplants boiled, then preserved in vinegar, oil, and herbs.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Eggplant and oregano match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 157 recipes. Both carry alpha-pinene, which smells pine, turpentine. The science ↓

Milinciani Sutt’ Oghiu

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the eggplant

  1. Remove stalks, peel and slice eggplants horizontally ½ inch thick.

  2. Cut each slice long-ways into strips about ½ inch wide and about 2 ½ inches long.

Blanch and drain

  1. In a stainless steel pot, bring the water to a boil with 2 full teaspoons of salt, bay leaves and the vinegar.

  2. A few at a time place the sliced eggplants into the boiling water.

  3. After 2 to 3 minutes, using a skimmer lift and place in a colander.

  4. As soon as the eggplants are cool, squeeze them with the skimmer or with your hands to remove excess water, pat dry using a rag or paper towels and place in a large bowl.

Pickle and store

  1. Dress eggplants with canola or corn oil and season with oregano, pepper, the mint and 3 bay leaves.

  2. Place in a glass jar, and press down lightly, if necessary add more oil so that eggplants are completely covered.

  3. Close tight and store in a cool place, preferably refrigerated.

  4. Serve at room temperature garnished with olive oil and sliced garlic.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

375Calories
4 gProtein
29 gFat
30 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Canola1 tbsp (14g)124
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Corn Oil1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Eggplant1 cup cubed (82g)35
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Peppermintnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Eggplant + oreganotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together157 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

  2. Eggplant + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together801 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  3. Oregano + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,756 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Eggplant + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together943 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggplants
Form the bulk of the dish and absorb the oil and seasoning as they soften.
Distilled white vinegar
Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and helps preserve the pickled eggplant.
Canola or corn oil
Carries the seasoning, adds richness, and keeps the eggplant covered and moist in the jar.
Mint leaves
Contributes a fresh, aromatic flavour that balances the oil and vinegar.

The step that matters

Squeezing and drying the eggplant after blanching. Eggplant holds a lot of water, and any left on the pieces dilutes the oil and vinegar and can make the pickle soggy or spoil faster. Removing the water and patting the pieces dry lets them absorb the dressing properly and stay firm.

Swap the mint

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (eggplant, corn, vinegar, oregano, pepper, garlic, olive):

  1. Basilfits better
  2. Cuminfits better
  3. Rosemaryfits better
  4. Mintthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against eggplant, corn, vinegar, oregano, pepper, garlic, olive. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

Corn FrittersCorn Fritters203 recipesCream of Corn SoupCream of Corn Soup50 recipesGreen Corn SoupGreen Corn Soup46 recipesCornmeal GruelCornmeal Gruel41 recipes