Are 5 secrete importante pe care le aplic mereu! Zacusca de vinete pentru iarna cu adevarat gustoasa

The recipe for baked eggplant and pepper stew for the winter, really tasty. I have 5 secrets that I always apply and never disappoint. Ingredients (2 jars of 380 ml): • 250 ml of concentrated tomato juice • 1 kg of raw eggplants that we will bake and clean • 600-700 g of raw bell peppers that we will then bake and clean • 300 g of onion • Optional 3-4 cloves of garlic • 50 ml of sunflower oil • A teaspoon full of quality sweet paprika • Salt • And ground black pepper Let's start with a little tip to make our work easier: Always use homemade concentrated tomato juice for the stew and not fresh tomatoes. It greatly shortens the cooking time and mixing in the pot, which is tiring especially if we prepare large quantities. The first secret. For the zacusa, bake the eggplants only on a sheet pan or on the grill, over high heat, until the skin is charred, so that they acquire a slight smoky aroma. The eggplants are immediately removed from the skin, chopped slightly and left to drain in a sieve, very, very well, overnight in the refrigerator. The more drained the eggplants are, the less you will have to keep them on the heat while cooking. And something else. You can use any stainless steel utensils in contact with the eggplants, because as its name suggests, stainless steel is a stainless material that does not react with food in any way. Just like the eggplants, the capia pepper is baked on a sheet pan or on the grill, until it turns black. It is left to sweat, covered, in a bowl. The second secret: the peppers are not washed, they are cleaned only by dipping your fingers in water. The seeds are removed in the same manner. This way they retain their roasted pepper flavor best. For the zacusca, a cast iron pot will work best, because it heats evenly, but other pots will work too. This is not an essential detail. We put it on medium heat and pour in the oil. We don't need more than 50 ml of oil. The third secret. We put the onion to cook on minimum heat, and stir often and patiently until it becomes glassy and slightly yellowish. This means that the sugar in it caramelizes, which will make it sweeter and tastier. It is an important step for the final taste of the dish. We add the chopped and drained eggplants. From now on, we stir almost continuously, until the eggplants lose their moisture and become more viscous. The zacusca smokes very easily, so it is not advisable to leave it. We add the chopped pepper and the tomato juice. Let it cook until it reduces and becomes viscous again. This is the fifth secret and a particularly important one! The zacusca must be well drained. The more moisture you leave in it, the more diluted the taste will be! Finally, season with: • a teaspoon of sweet paprika - very important - if you have never used it, add it now, you will see how tasty the zacusca will be. Just be careful that the paprika is not bitter, of poor quality. • a teaspoon of ground black pepper • a teaspoon of salt or to taste • and completely optional, a little garlic pressed through a press. I know this is not for everyone, but keep in mind that the aroma and taste of garlic fade and transform during cooking, so you will not have a zacusca with a sour taste. Mix. Another little bonus secret so to speak: Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, the zacusca needs a little more acidity. Then a little secret is to add a tablespoon or two of vinegar from the pickled hot peppers. It does wonders for the taste and helps with preservation, because the development of bacteria is inhibited in a more acidic environment. For the winter, pack hot in clean jars, then cap the jars, and boil them in a water bath for about 15 minutes from the first boil. There is no need to sterilize the jars beforehand. Then turn off the heat and let them cool slowly in the water bath. That's all. Enjoy!