MELANZANE A FILETTI
allow my to introduce you to your new pickle obsession
Season’s greetings, one and all.
I hope you are coping and surviving, or perhaps even thriving, in this typically manic week before Christmas. If you, like many, have already eaten a few two many Christmas dinners, eaten your way through every festive canapé, mince pie and panettone available and you’re dying for a little rest bite (forgive the pun), before the actual big day - then allow me to be of service.
Think if this week’s recipe as a little Italian inspired break from the cranberry and stuffing. In short, melanzane a filetti is Italian marinated aubergine, it’s lightly brined in both salt and vinegar and then marinated in oil and aromatics. It’s something you can pick up in almost any Italian grocery shop for pennies and yet cannot find anywhere else in Europe - to my knowledge. I became obsessed with it when I briefly lived in Rome and on every trip to Italy since I eat as much as is humanly possible before having to come home - until this summer that is. I introduced the stuff to my boyfriend and he became equally as obsessed, so much so he had to develop a recipe for it as soon as we got home. We since served it at our supper club with Kitty Tait at the Camberwell Arms, as part of a menu inspired by our travels around Puglia. And now, at long last, I am sharing that recipe here with you.
I really cannot take much credit for this one, except perhaps being the person to introduce it to THC, but after that he really did all the hard work. He tested multiple types of aubergine, different percentages of salt, ratios of water to vinegar, and ended up here, with the perfect balance of everything. He’s a clever boy.
So if you are looking for a preserving project over the Christmas holidays, look no further, it’s incredibly easy and very rewarding.
This will be my last newsletter of 2026, before I take my usual Christmas break. I’m very excited to return in January with renewed energy and an abundance of delicious, nourishing recipes to get you through the new year. I hope you all have a very merry Christmas, sending you lots of love, as ever.
Rosie x
