Well, who doesn’t know her! “Overseas caviar, eggplant” evokes nostalgia for the times when it was prepared according to GOST, had excellent taste and cost a penny. Now everything has changed, but housewives still continue to prepare eggplant caviar in the store. At the height of the vegetable season, blue ones are inexpensive, and the range of other vegetables without which delicious caviar simply cannot be made is quite large. And the price for them “doesn’t bite.”
Every housewife who is fond of canning has her own recipe for making eggplant caviar. Usually it matches the taste preferences of all household members. But in order to get eggplant caviar, like store-bought caviar, you need not only to prepare it in a certain way, but also to strictly observe the proportions of the required products.
Eggplant caviar from fried vegetables
According to this recipe, all vegetables are first fried and then chopped. The calorie content of the finished product will be quite high, since this method of preparation requires a lot of oil. If you want the preparation to be spicy, add any pepper to the products listed in the recipe.
To make the caviar tasty for 2 kg of eggplant you need to take:
- ripe tomatoes – 1.5 kg;
- carrots, onions, bell peppers – 1 kg each;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. spoon;
- coarse salt – 3 tbsp. There should be no spoons or slides. Do not use iodized salt for canning. Preparations seasoned with it will not stand.
- refined lean oil – about 400 g;
- As a seasoning, you can use hot or ground pepper, black or allspice, and dill.
Cut medium-sized eggplants into cubes, not very large, place in a saucepan, sprinkle with salt. You will need 5 tbsp. spoons Fill the mixed eggplants with water and soak for ¾ hour.
While the blue ones are getting wet, grate the carrots, cut the onions, tomatoes and peppers into cubes. If you plan to use hot peppers, you need to grind them in a blender.
Strain out the eggplants, rinse with cold water and dry. Fry the eggplants, onions, carrots, and tomatoes alternately in vegetable oil.
Combine all the vegetables in a saucepan, season with salt, pepper, sugar and cook for 40 minutes at low boil.
Using a hand mixer, beat the prepared vegetable mixture. If the dish is intended for the winter, the caviar needs to be boiled again, and then packaged in sterile dry jars and rolled up.
You can do it differently. Cover the jars with lids and sterilize in a water bath. For 0.5 liter jars, 15 minutes is enough; liter jars will have to be sterilized for about 20 minutes.
Eggplant caviar, as in the store, can also be prepared from baked eggplants.
“Overseas” caviar from baked eggplants
For this recipe, the eggplants are pre-baked.This processing makes the preparation more tender, and the addition of herbs gives it a spicy taste. Carrots are not added to this caviar.
For 2 kg of medium-sized eggplant you will need:
- bell peppers and tomatoes – 1 kg each;
- onion – 0.5 kg;
- refined lean oil – 200 ml;
- vinegar 9% - 5 tbsp. spoon;
- salt - a large tablespoon;
- sugar – 2 tbsp. spoons without a slide;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- greens, preferably parsley – 1 bunch.
First of all, bake the eggplants. This should be done at a temperature of approximately 200 degrees for about 40 minutes. Do not cut off the tails of the eggplants, otherwise they will be soft along their entire length. They should be placed on a dry baking sheet.
We clean and chop all other vegetables in a food processor. You can do this using a blender or meat grinder.
The easiest way to do this is to scald the tomatoes with boiling water and then pour cold water over them.
We clean the warm eggplants, chop them and add them to the rest of the vegetables. The mixture must be salted, seasoned with pepper, sugar and chopped herbs. If you do not plan to store the caviar, it can be served immediately. In a dish prepared in this way, all the beneficial properties of vegetables are preserved.
For winter storage, the vegetable mixture will have to be simmered for another hour over low heat. You need to stir frequently. The finished product should be immediately packaged in sterilized jars and rolled up.
This recipe is taken from a Soviet-era book intended for catering establishments. Therefore, it comes closest in taste to store-bought eggplant caviar.
The author's name of the dish is “Nostalgia”.Roasted vegetables provide it with a delicate texture, garlic provides a slight heat, and bay leaves provide a hint of spice.
Eggplant caviar “Nostalgia”
Since the main vegetables are baked for it, the oil content in this preparation is minimal. This dish can be eaten by children, those who want to lose weight, and even those who have digestive problems.
To prepare this caviar for 3 medium-sized eggplants or 2 large ones you will need:
- tomatoes – 3 pcs, also medium;
- onion – 1 pc;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- vinegar – 1 teaspoon;
- bay leaf – 1 piece;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Bake tomatoes and eggplants together on a dry baking sheet in the oven. The temperature should be about 200 degrees, and the baking time depends on the density of the vegetables and ranges from 30 minutes to an hour.
Finely chop the onion and sauté with a small amount of vegetable oil until it begins to turn golden. At the very end, add finely chopped garlic cloves and fry together for 5 minutes.
Peel the eggplants and tomatoes and chop them together with the fried onions in a food processor.
Vegetables should not be completely cooled. They peel off the skin best while they are still warm.
Simmer the chopped vegetable puree in a thick-walled bowl over low heat until thick. During this time, the caviar should acquire a standard, unique color. At the beginning of simmering, add salt and pepper to taste, add a bay leaf. When the caviar is ready, take it out and pack the product into jars. They must be not only sterilized, but also dry. The jars must be sealed tightly with sterilized lids.
Store-bought eggplant caviar is a universal dish.It goes well with potatoes, cereals and pasta. It can serve as a side dish for a meat dish and as a spread on a sandwich. Mild taste and healthy ingredients are its main advantages. And the ease of preparation will allow even novice housewives to prepare eggplants for the winter.
