Mushroom zacuscă

Name: Mushroom zacuscă
Ingredients: 5 kg kapia peppers; 5 kg gogosari peppers; 1 kg onion; 2.5 kg fresh mushrooms or 4 jars of 400 g mushrooms; 400 ml oil; 1 l tomato purée; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 4 bay leaves; 1-2 hot peppers

Conserve - Mushroom zacuscă by Tania L. - Recipia

The oil rising to the surface shows that the mushroom zacuscă has cooked down. The roasted kapia peppers and gogosari are minced with the onion, mushrooms and tomato purée, then simmered into a thick, mildly spicy winter preserve, good on bread or as a pizza sauce. I spread it on toast, pretty generously. Prep: 120 minutes. Cook: 285 minutes. Rest: 120 minutes. Total: 525 minutes. Servings: 60. About 125 kcal and 4 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

5 kg kapia peppers
5 kg gogosari peppers
1 kg onion
2.5 kg fresh mushrooms or 4 jars of 400 g mushrooms
400 ml oil
1 l tomato purée
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
4 bay leaves
1-2 hot peppers

Preparation

1. Roast the kapia peppers and gogosari in a preheated 230°C oven, in batches, for 60 minutes, turning them as they cook, until the skins are blackened in places. 2. Peel the roasted peppers and remove the stems and seeds, then mince them. Peel the onion and mince it in a meat grinder or food processor; cut the fresh mushrooms into medium-sized slices. 3. Put the onion, fresh mushrooms and 400 ml oil in a large pot. Sauté for 45 minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms stop releasing liquid. 4. If using jarred mushrooms, drain them and add them to the pot in the next step, without sautéing them. 5. Add the minced peppers, tomato purée, salt, pepper and bay leaves. For a hotter zacuscă, add the hot peppers too. Simmer for 180 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom of the pot; it is ready when it has thickened and the oil rises to the surface. 6. Divide the hot zacuscă among shallow containers, let it cool and refrigerate it within 2 hours.

Notes

The hot pepper is optional; 1 gives a milder heat than 2. To store it, keep it in the fridge for no more than 3 days and freeze the leftover portions, rather than leaving them in the pantry after cooling under blankets. I spread it on toast and slice a few pieces of cucumber to have alongside. A pot of at least 20 l fits the whole mixture better and leaves room to stir without it spilling over the sides. Fresh mushrooms can release different amounts of water, so the time it takes for the liquid to evaporate is not always the same. Choose firm mushrooms without dark or soft spots; if using jarred ones, drain the liquid well before adding them.