10/11/2026
“melanzane”
long before refrīgeratīon, preservatīon was a way of līfe
īn venezīa, one of īts most endurīng expressīons was saor,
a centurīes-old preparatīon rooted īn agrodolce, the delīcate balance of sweet and sour,
tradītīonally combīnīng vīnegar, onīons, raīsīns, and pīne nuts to preserve the harvest and the catch
ī remember workīng at le calandre as summer slowly gave way to autumn,
preservīng the last of the season’s abundance for menus that wouldn’t arrīve untīl the leaves had changed and wīnter had settled īn
there was somethīng beautīful about knowīng those īngredīents would fīnd theīr way back to the table,
carryīng a memory of a season long gone
thīs dīsh began wīth that memory
faīrytale eggplants charred over bīnchotan untīl blīstered and sīlky,
then prepared sott’aceto, an ancīent method of preservīng vegetables īn vīnegar
aprīcot cheong replaces the tradītīonal raīsīns,
brīngīng sweetness to the agrodolce,
whīle cīpollīnī verde lends freshness
and pangrattato toasted īn black garlīc oīl adds depth and crunch
fīnīshed wīth toasted pīne nuts,
a nod to the venetīan tradītīon
a pīece of summer, carrīed īnto another season
a līttle summer, remembered through fall
—
charred faīrytale eggplant • aprīcot cheong • cīpolla verde • pīne nut • pangratatto
📸 Jeff Fierberg • Photographer • Cinematographer
🍆 Sunnyside Farm & Conservancy
🧅 Know Your Farmer
🍑 Morton's Orchards
