Zacusca - Romanian Eggplant Spread
Zacusca recipe – Romanian eggplant and red pepper spread.
Prep Time1 hour hr
Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Total Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Course: Preserves and Canning Recipes
Cuisine: Romanian
Servings: 4 -5 jars
Calories: 573kcal
- 4 medium aubergines
- 6 large red bell peppers
- 2 large onions
- 500 g/ 1.1 lbs/ 2 ¼ cups pureed tomatoes See note 1
- 120 ml/ 4 oz/ ½ cup vegetable oil See note 2
- about 20 black peppercorns
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons honey more to taste
- 2 scant tablespoons fine sea salt more or less to taste
Prepare the vegetables:
Grill the eggplants on a hot grill until the skin blackens all over and the eggplants are very soft. See here for more information on preparing the eggplants.
Grill the bell peppers until the skin blisters and blackens.
Alternatively, you can place the vegetables on baking trays lined with parchment paper and place them in the hot oven at 200 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-30 minutes for the bell peppers and about 40 minutes for the eggplants, turning the veggies about 3 times in the meantime. Don't take them out before they are really soft.
Once cooked cover the vegetables with plastic foil. This procedure makes the peeling easier.
Let the vegetables cool, peel carefully removing the seeds from the peppers as well, chop very roughly and keep separated.
Place the eggplants into a sieve and let drain well for 1 or 2 hours.
Let the peppers stand in another bowl and make sure to reserve the juices they release.
Cook zacusca:
Chop the onions. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onions until translucent.
Add the roughly chopped eggplants and red bell peppers, pureed tomatoes, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt.
Add about 300 ml/ 10 fl.oz/ 1 ½ cups water and the released juices from the peppers as well, the mixtures should not be too dry.
Cook everything on a very low flame for about 1 ½ hour, stirring regularly.
Adjust the taste with salt and honey. You might need a bit more honey, depends on how sweet the peppers and the tomatoes were.
Puree the vegetables roughly (there should still be small bits in the zacusca, it should not turn to a paste) with a hand-held mixer.
Can zacusca:
Sterilize your jars while the spread is cooking.
Pour everything in the jars, close with the lids and can in a water bath canner for 20-25 minutes.
If you don't have a canner, you can still very easily can anything.
Place a folded kitchen towel on the bottom of a large pot, put the jars on the towel taking care that they don't touch each other, then pour enough hot water to cover them.
Let everything come to a boil again, then boil the jars for 20 to 25 minutes.
Take the jars out of the water immediately (using a jar lifter and mitts) and let cool at room temperature.
Keep the jars on shelves in the cellar or a colder room.
- Simple pureed tomatoes with no sugar or salt added. Not tomato paste/concentrate or tomato sauce.
- Neutral tasting oil like canola or mild sunflower oil. Not olive olive.
Serving: 1jar | Calories: 573kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3192mg | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 34g