Zacusca, Romanian eggplant spread for winter

Ingredients

• 2500 g eggplant (roasted and drained)
• 2500 g kapia peppers (roasted and drained)
• 2000 g onion
• 1000 ml oil
• 2 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 500 g canned mushrooms
• 3/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 800 g tomato paste

Preparation

1. Roast the eggplant and kapia peppers over a wood fire, turning them, for about 60 minutes, until the skins blacken and the flesh softens. Peel the eggplant, and peel and seed the peppers. Leave them to drain on a rack, then weigh out 2500 g of each. 2. Peel the onion, rinse it and chop it finely. Put the oil and onion in a large pot, add 2 tablespoons of salt and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring, until the onion turns translucent. 3. Drain the mushrooms, chop them finely and add them to the pot. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring now and then; the onion and mushrooms should sizzle gently without sticking. 4. Chop the eggplant and peppers into fairly large pieces, using a knife or a food processor with short pulses. Add them to the pot with 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, the thyme and the bay leaves. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours, stirring often, until the mixture thickens. 5. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes, then taste and adjust with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, if needed. 6. Put the washed and dried jars on a baking tray and sterilize them in an oven heated to 120°C for 10 minutes. Boil the lids for 2 minutes. 7. Carefully take out the tray and fill the hot jars. Stir the zacusca in the pot from time to time to redistribute the oil that has risen to the surface. Seal the jars with the hot lids. 8. Put the jars on the tray and leave them in the oven at 120°C for another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the tray inside, with the door closed, for 8 hours, until the next day.