Summer zacuscă with mushrooms

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini (500 g)
• 250 g white button mushrooms
• 2 medium onions (300 g)
• 4 bell peppers
• 2 large carrots (300 g)
• 150 ml oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 70 g tomato paste
• 8 peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Clean and wash the vegetables. Peel the zucchini and the mushrooms. Finely chop the vegetables separately in a food processor, starting with the onion. 2. Heat the oil in a large pot. Sauté the onion for 15 minutes, until soft and translucent. 3. Chop the bell peppers and add them to the onion. Sauté for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 4. Chop the carrots and add them to the pot. Let the vegetables sauté for another 15 minutes. 5. Chop the zucchini and add them to the pot. Cook everything for 30 minutes, stirring often; the mixture softens and reduces. 6. Chop the mushrooms and add them to the vegetables. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring often, until the oil starts to rise to the surface. 7. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves, salt and tomato paste. Cook for another 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. 8. Spoon the zacuscă into sterilized jars and process them in a steam bath for 1 hour. Cover the jars with a blanket and leave them like that until morning, then keep them in the fridge.