Zacuscă de vinete for winter

Ingredients

• 3 kg roasted eggplants peeled and drained
• 2 kg cleaned gogosari peppers
• 500 g cleaned kapia peppers
• 2 kg peeled onions
• 1 l oil
• 10 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 800 g tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation

1. Roast the whole eggplants on a metal cooking plate or directly over the flame, about 60 minutes in total, turning them until the skin blackens and the flesh softens. Peel them and leave them to drain. 2. Wash and clean the gogosari and kapia peppers, then chop them in a food processor or pass them through a meat grinder. Peel the onions and chop them the same way. 3. Put 1 l oil and the onions in a large, heavy-bottomed pot set on a metal cooking plate. Cook for 10 minutes, until the onions soften. 4. Add the gogosari and kapia peppers. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables soften and reduce. 5. Add the bay leaves, pepper and 1 tablespoon salt. Roughly chop the eggplants, add them to the pot and cook for another 1 hour, stirring from time to time. Remove the bay leaves when you come across them. 6. Add the tomato paste and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring continuously, until the zacuscă thickens. 7. Taste and add the second tablespoon of salt and the tablespoon of sugar. Let it come to a boil once more, for about 2 minutes. 8. Wash the jars and sterilize them in an oven preheated to 120°C for 15 minutes, until very hot. Spoon the hot zacuscă into the hot jars and seal them with lids. Put the jars in the fridge and leave them there to cool for 2 hours.