To prepare a delicious eggplant zacusca with peppers and sweet bell peppers, the first step is to take care of the main ingredients. We start by roasting the eggplants, peppers, and sweet bell peppers. They can be roasted on a grill or in the oven until the skin turns black and charred, and the inside becomes soft and aromatic. After roasting, we let the eggplants drain in a colander for about an hour to remove excess water and achieve a thicker zacusca.
In the meantime, we take care of the peppers and sweet bell peppers. Once they have cooled, we pass them through a meat grinder to obtain a fine paste. The drained eggplants are chopped with a wooden chopper to maintain their texture. We chop the onion into small pieces and then sauté it in a pan with hot oil. It is important to sauté it over medium heat until it becomes glassy, as this step will enhance the flavor of the dish.
After the onion is sautéed, we add the peppers, sweet bell peppers, and eggplants, mixing well to integrate all the ingredients. Then, we add the tomato paste, which will give the zacusca a vibrant color and rich taste. We transfer the mixture to a thicker-bottomed pot to prevent sticking. We let it simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally until the oil starts to rise to the surface, indicating that the zacusca is almost ready.
When it reaches the desired consistency, we add salt to taste, peppercorns, and a few bay leaves, which will add extra flavor. The dish needs to simmer for a few more minutes to blend the flavors. While the zacusca is simmering, we prepare the jars. They must be sterilized in the oven at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes to ensure they are completely sanitized.
Once the zacusca is ready, we pour it hot into the sterilized jars, making sure to leave a little space at the top of the jars. We immediately seal the jars with the appropriate lids and wrap them in blankets to cool slowly. This slow cooling process helps to create a vacuum, ensuring better preservation of the dish. We leave the jars like this until the next day when we can store them in the pantry, where the zacusca will preserve perfectly, ready to delight our taste buds in the days to come. This savory zacusca is perfect both on toasted bread and as a side dish to meat dishes.
In the meantime, we take care of the peppers and sweet bell peppers. Once they have cooled, we pass them through a meat grinder to obtain a fine paste. The drained eggplants are chopped with a wooden chopper to maintain their texture. We chop the onion into small pieces and then sauté it in a pan with hot oil. It is important to sauté it over medium heat until it becomes glassy, as this step will enhance the flavor of the dish.
After the onion is sautéed, we add the peppers, sweet bell peppers, and eggplants, mixing well to integrate all the ingredients. Then, we add the tomato paste, which will give the zacusca a vibrant color and rich taste. We transfer the mixture to a thicker-bottomed pot to prevent sticking. We let it simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally until the oil starts to rise to the surface, indicating that the zacusca is almost ready.
When it reaches the desired consistency, we add salt to taste, peppercorns, and a few bay leaves, which will add extra flavor. The dish needs to simmer for a few more minutes to blend the flavors. While the zacusca is simmering, we prepare the jars. They must be sterilized in the oven at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes to ensure they are completely sanitized.
Once the zacusca is ready, we pour it hot into the sterilized jars, making sure to leave a little space at the top of the jars. We immediately seal the jars with the appropriate lids and wrap them in blankets to cool slowly. This slow cooling process helps to create a vacuum, ensuring better preservation of the dish. We leave the jars like this until the next day when we can store them in the pantry, where the zacusca will preserve perfectly, ready to delight our taste buds in the days to come. This savory zacusca is perfect both on toasted bread and as a side dish to meat dishes.
Ingredients
5 kg of eggplants, 2 kg of red bell peppers, 2 kg of sweet peppers, 1 kg of onion, 500 ml of oil, 1 l of tomato paste, salt, pepper, bay leaves