Romanian Roasted Eggplant Spread Recipes

ZACUSCA RECIPE - ROMANIAN ROASTED EGGPLANT AND RED PEPPER SPREAD

Steps:

• Poke the eggplant flesh in several places with a knife (this allows steam to escape when cooking).
• Remove the stems from the peppers and core them. Slice them in half lengthwise.
• FOR GRILLING: Heat the grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. Set the eggplant and red peppers (skin sides uonto the grates and close the lid. Grill 20 minutes, or until the red pepper skins bubble up and char. Remove them. Continue to grill the eggplant, flipping every few minutes to get an even char on the skins and the flesh is softened up, another 20 minutes or so. Remove from heat.
• FOR BAKING: Set the eggplant and red peppers onto a large foil-lined baking sheet.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake the egglplant and peppers for 20 minutes, until the pepper skins char and bubble up. Remove the peppers and flip the eggplants. Continue to roast until the eggplants soften and blacken, another 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat.
• When the peppers and eggplant are done, remove the pepper skins and discard them. Set them aside for now, covered.
• Scoop out the eggplant flesh and discard the skins. Place the eggplant flesh into a strainer and sprinkle with salt. Let the liquids drain out for 1 hour.
• Add the drained eggplant and chili peppers to a blender or food processor and process until chunky.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan and add the onion and jalapeno peppers (and/or serrano peppers, if you're using them). Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until everything softens up.
• Add the processed eggplant and red peppers, fresh or canned tomatoes, sunflower oil, honey (if using), and salt and pepper. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for at least 30 minutes, or until everything breaks down and combines into a thicker spread to your preferred thickness. I like to simmer 60-90 minutes to develop more flavor. If it dries out too much, add in a few tablespoons of water.
• Remove the bay leaf and adjust for salt and pepper.

ROMANIAN EGGPLANT SPREAD (SALATA DE VINATE)

Steps:

• Place eggplant over open flame (gas stove or grill).
• Carefully turn to ensure all the skin on eggplants are completely charred. They will look black and be very limp and soft from end to end.
• Immediately remove charred skin by placing them under cool running water. Pick off as many of the burnt bits as possible.
• Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of salt. Allow moisture to drain off for at least 10 minutes.
• Place eggplant on a non-metal surface (wood is best) and chop with a WOOD (or plastic) chopping knife until it is pretty much pureed. In Romania every kitchen has a special wooden knife specifically for this purpose. I have used my hard plastic bread dough tool. DO NOT USE METAL it will react with the eggplant and give it a funky flavor.
• Place into a NON-METAL bowl and blend in mayonnaise and onion with a non-metal utensil until you have a smooth mixture.
• Serve on crusty bread with a slice of ripe tomato on top.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND PEPPER SPREAD

Steps:

• Grill Eggplants: To grill the eggplants, make sure to poke holes in them with a knife, so they don't explode! Grill them until soft and charred. They will take a good 30-45 minutes to get a nice char on them. Transfer them to a bowl and let them cool completely. Remove the peel, using a knife - if you've cooked them enough, the peel should come off easily. Try and get them as clean as possible with no char bits on them. Place them in a colander over a bowl and let them drain for a few minutes.
• Grill the Peppers: Grill the peppers, or roast them in the oven until they are almost completely charred. Let them cool completely. There are a couple ways to remove the peel. You can either peel them under running water or place them in a bowl with about a tbsp of salt. Cover them with a lid and let them rest for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes the peel should come off quite easily. Peel them and remove all the seeds from them. Also place the peppers in a colander over a bowl and let them drain for a few minutes.
• Chop: The next step you can do in small batches, depends how big your food processor is! Place some eggplant into the food processor and pulse a few times until the eggplant is finely chopped, but do not pulse it too much, you don't want it to look like a paste. Repeat the same with the peppers.
• Cook Onions: In a very large pot heat the oil and add the onions. Cook the onions until soft, make sure not to burn them. They should just start to change color.
• Add Ingredients & Cook: Carefully add the eggplant and peppers and stir using a wooden spoon. Next, add tomato sauce, then add the salt, black pepper and bay leaves. This will require 3 hours of cooking over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally (I stirred every 10 minutes, just so that it doesn't stick to the bottom).
• Prep The Jars: Wash the jars with soap in scalding water. Put jars in a water-bath canner or on a rack set in a deep pot and cover with hot water.Bring water to a boil and boil jars, covered, 15 minutes from time steam emerges from pot. Turn off the heat and let them stand in hot water.
• Place Jars in Oven: Just before the spread is ready to be canned, place the jars (lids off) in the oven at 350F degrees for 10 minutes.
• Fill The Jars: Take them out and carefully fill the jars with zacusca, leaving about an inch left from the top. Place the lid onto the rim and, using one finger to hold the lid securely, twist on the screw band until it's tight.
• Finish And Let The Jars Cool: Once this is done with all the jars, place them back in the oven and continue baking for another 15 minutes; after which you can turn off the oven, and let them cool in there for a few hours.

NADIA'S "SALATA DE VINETE" EGGPLANT SALAD SPREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pierce the eggplant skins in several places with a fork. Set the eggplants on a baking sheet and roast until soft and the skin is charred, 30 to 45 minutes, turning a few times for even roasting.
• When done, cut off the stems and peel the eggplants. Cut a slit along the side of each eggplant and transfer the eggplants to a strainer for a couple of minutes to allow the juices to drain.
• Finely chop the eggplants with a knife until they form a smooth puree. Add the eggplant puree to a bowl and stir in the olive oil and lemon juice until well-blended; taste and add more olive oil and lemon juice if desired. Add the onion and mix in the mayonnaise, adding more if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with dill and refrigerate for at least one hour to chill.

ROMANIAN EGGPLANT DIP

Steps:

• Roast the eggplants on the top of a gas stove directly on the flames. Keep the fire on high so the flames surround the eggplant. Roast each eggplant until the shin starts to burn (when you can see white gray color and the inside is soft at touch), then turn on the other side and cook until the skin starts to burn on that side. Transfer to a plate or cutting board and peel a part of the top burned shin with the back of a spoon. Let cool while the other eggplant is roasting. Scoop the inside of the eggplant into a bowl using a spoon. Repeat this procedure for the second eggplant. While the eggplant is cooling chop the onion very small (or crush the garlic). Once cooled, transfer the eggplant to a cutting board and crop it until is similar to a coarse paste. Mix the eggplant with the onion (or garlic), the salt and add the oil in batches. Add more onion (garlic) and salt to taste. Refrigerate for an hour or serve immediately. Optional serving with tomatoes: Cut the top of the tomatoes and scoop the inside with a teaspoon. Fill them with the dip and top with parsley.

ROMANIAN ROASTED EGGPLANT SPREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Poke eggplant with a fork and place on a baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven until skin is charred and eggplant is soft, about 45 minutes. Cool until easily handled, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Peel eggplant and drain in a colander for 30 minutes. Chop eggplant very finely.
• Place eggplant in a bowl and blend using an electric mixer. Gradually add oil and keep mixing until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add yogurt and salt; mix well. Stir in chopped onion.