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slice of bread topped with romanian zacusca
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4.63 from 8 votes

Zacusca - Romanian Eggplant Spread

Zacusca recipe – Romanian eggplant and red pepper spread.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Preserves and Canning Recipes
Cuisine: Romanian
Servings: 4 -5 jars
Calories: 573kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

  • 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

Instructions

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.

Video

Notes

  1. Simple pureed tomatoes with no sugar or salt added. Not tomato paste/concentrate or tomato sauce.
  2. Neutral tasting oil like canola or mild sunflower oil. Not olive olive.

Nutrition

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