Marinated Eggplant

I have been looking for a good recipe to mimic the way my dad made his marinated eggplant.  Unfortunately, this is one of the things I forgot to ask about before he passed.  I remember him in the kitchen with the huge colandar full of eggplant with a plate on top and bricks on the plates.  But that is basically the only part of the operation that I ever witnessed. 

So here is my recipe:

Marinated Eggplant
(makes 1 quart Mason Jar)

Eggplant, peeled and sliced thinly, like french fries, (1 Medium purple and six long white) or whatever you have!)
White Wine Vinegar, 1/2 cup
Salt, 1-1/2 tablespoons
Capers, 2 Tablespoons or more if you prefer
Roasted Red Bell Peppers, a few tablespoons, cut into small strips
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped but NOT minced
Celery, one stalk, cut into small pieces, boiled with the onion.
6 Black Olives (or green if you prefer that flavor) cut in half
EV Olive Oil

Peel and cut the eggplant into strips.  I cut mine a little two thick I think.  (Think McDonald's French Fry Size) I used one medium purple eggplant and six thin white eggplant.  (This makes about one quart).
Put the eggplant in a colandar and salt it.  (Here is where I went wrong - I used a little too much salt).  1-1/2 Tablespoons should be enough.  Mix it up with your hands until covered.  Put a flat dish on the eggplant in the colandar and then put two large cans of tomatoes (or a brick) on top of the plate.  (This will squeeze the water out of the eggplant) Let that sit for a minimum of two hours in the sink.  A lot of water will escape. 

Put 1/2 cup of vinegar and two cups of water in a small pot and boil.  Put the strips of eggplant in for about 5 minutes.  You do not want it to become mushy.

Take out the eggplant, run it under cold water and return to the colandar, with the plate on top and the brick!  Set this aside for a minimum of four hours or overnight.  I did it overnight.  More water will come out. 

In the morning, squeeze out any additional water and put the eggplant in a bowl.  Add two tablespoons of capers (more or less to your taste), cut up strips of red bell peppers - I used about Three Tablespoons, but I should have used more.  Add in one half of a boiled onion.  (I actually fried mine to get it translucent, but then it browned up a little bit and I didn't like the way it looked so you should cut up the onion and then boil it for a few minutes.)  (My dad also added boiled celery pieces) (He also added black olives chopped in half right out of the can.  I didn't have celery or olives, so I didn't add them in, but I realize now that you need that flavor!)   Mix up all the ingredients with your hands in the bowl and then stuff into a quart canning jar.  Add EVOO to cover the mixture.  Add the lids to the mason jar and refrigerate and it is ready to use on sandwiches. 

I am not sure if my dad actually water canned his eggplant.  I just don't remember it.  I read a few recipes where people did this.  I only remember there being about 20 jars each fall in the cold room and that it lasted until the next fall.  I'm thinking he must have water canned them.  Since I am only doing one jar at a time, I am not going to worry about it.