Squash caviar is one of the most popular types of homemade preparations. It is filling, low in calories and tastes good. To prepare caviar, you can use simple recipes and readily available ingredients.
The shelf life of squash caviar is up to 2 years. This appetizer can be used as an addition to a side dish or as part of a sandwich.
The benefits of squash caviar
During the cooking process, some of the beneficial properties of vegetables are lost under the influence of high temperatures. Fresh zucchini contains vitamins, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium.
The finished dish contains carbohydrates, fats, and fiber, which make it filling. Caviar has low calorie content. The calorie content per 100 g of product is about 80. Therefore, it can be included in the diet.
If you have stomach problems (ulcers or gastritis), it is not recommended to add tomato paste to the dish.
Basics of Caviar Cooking
To get delicious caviar at home, which can be used throughout the year, you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- Caviar should be prepared in containers made of steel or cast iron. Thick-walled cookware prevents vegetables from burning. As a result, all components will heat up evenly, which will have a positive effect on the taste of the finished product.
- Young zucchini are best suited for homemade preparations. They have not yet developed a hard skin and rough seeds. During the cooking process they do not soften, but remain hard. If mature vegetables are used, the peel is first cut off and the seeds are removed.
- The carrots give the dish an orange color. Carrots also affect the taste of the dish, making it sweeter.
- Tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic and other components are added to caviar depending on the recipe.
- Spices will help you achieve a piquant taste. You can get the necessary taste with salt and sugar.
- To obtain a uniform consistency caviar is turned through a meat grinder or grind using a blender.
- When canning, add vinegar or fresh lemon juice to the dish.
- For preparations for the winter, glass containers are used, which must be thoroughly washed and treated with steam to eliminate bacteria.
- Jars with blanks are closed with lids, thoroughly boiled in water.
- The pieces are turned over, placed in a blanket and left to cool completely.
Basic Recipes
The process of preparing caviar involves cutting vegetables, which are then heat-treated. Various recipes involve adding garlic, onions, carrots, tomatoes, spices and herbs to the dish. To speed up the process of preparing zucchini caviar, use a slow cooker or ovens.
Simple and tasty caviar
A simple recipe for zucchini caviar for the winter includes the following sequence of actions:
- 0.8 kg of carrots and onions need to be chopped, then placed in a hot frying pan, adding oil and salt.
- 1.5 kg of zucchini and 1.5 kg of tomatoes are coarsely chopped and then passed through a meat grinder. Do the same with roasted vegetables.
- Add sugar, salt, and a few black peppercorns to the resulting mixture, then simmer over low heat.
- The caviar is stirred for 2 hours, after which you can fill the prepared jars with it.
Garlic caviar
The simplest preparations of zucchini, carrots and garlic can be quickly prepared according to the following recipe:
- 3 kg of zucchini is peeled and then cut into small pieces.
- White onion (1 kg) is cut into four parts, then finely chopped. A similar amount of carrots should be grated.
- Oil is poured into a deep container, then the prepared zucchini is lowered into it. When the vegetables soften, place them in a colander for half an hour.
- During this time, onions are fried in a container and moved to the zucchini. Carrots are fried in the same way.
- The resulting mass is scrolled through a meat grinder, then transferred back into the container. The mixture must be brought to a boil, then simmered for half an hour. The caviar should be stirred periodically.
- At the last stage, add 8 cloves of garlic, which must first be finely chopped or pressed. To taste you need to add tomato paste, salt and sugar.
Fast caviar
This simple recipe for squash caviar allows you to get a dish ready to eat or roll into jars in 50 minutes:
- For a half-liter jar, one large zucchini is required, which is cleared of seeds and peel, and then grated on a fine grater.
- The resulting mass is cooked for half an hour over low heat, stirring occasionally. The resulting water must be drained.
- One large carrot is grated and then fried in a frying pan for 5 minutes.
- Add crushed garlic to the carrots, 1 tbsp. l. ketchup, salt and pepper. The mixture needs to be fried for another two minutes.
- Add carrots to the pan with the zucchini, stir the vegetable mixture and cook for 15 minutes.
Krasnodar caviar
The method of preparation according to the “Krasnodar” recipe allows you to get tasty caviar that can be stored for a long time. It can be prepared by following a certain technology:
- Young zucchini in the amount of 2 kg are grated on a medium grater. If the vegetable mass releases juice, it must be drained.
6 - 1 kg of carrots are grated and placed in a separate bowl. Then finely chop the onion in an amount of 0.5 kg.
- Oil is poured into the frying pan, then the onion is placed in it, which is fried for 10 minutes. Then carrots are placed in the container and the mixture is fried for another 10 minutes.
- 1 kg of bell pepper is cleared of seeds and then cut into strips. 1 kg of tomatoes needs to be cut into pieces.
- Wash the greens (parsley) thoroughly, chop them, and peel the garlic.
- Tomatoes with herbs and garlic need to be minced, then add sugar, salt, vinegar.
- Pour the tomato mixture into the frying pan with onions and carrots, stir and bring to a boil.
- Place zucchini and pepper in a container, stir and boil for an hour until tender.
Spicy caviar
To get preparations with an unusual spicy taste, you need to follow the following recipe for delicious squash caviar:
- 0.2 kg of carrots should be grated on a fine grater.0.2 kg of white onion, chopped into small pieces. Place the resulting mixture in a saucepan, add vegetable oil and simmer over low heat.
- Grate 0.3 kg of zucchini on a coarse grater and place in a saucepan.
- After 20 minutes, you need to add spices to the container (2 teaspoons of paprika, 1/3 tablespoon each of dry ginger and cardamom, two bay leaves). You also need to salt the dish, add sugar and water.
- The caviar should be simmered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Then the vegetables need to be cooled, the bay leaf removed and chopped in a blender.
- The resulting mass is put back on the fire and the water that forms during extinguishing is poured out.
- The finished dish is rolled into jars or served with the main course.
Caviar with parsley
Dishes with the addition of parsley acquire a special taste. You can prepare it according to a simple recipe for squash caviar:
- 1 kg of zucchini is cut into cubes.
- 0.1 kg of onion is finely chopped, then fried in a frying pan until transparent.
- 0.1 kg of carrots are grated. Finely chop 10 g of parsley root, then add tomato paste.
- Mix the vegetables, add sugar, salt and ground pepper. Cook the dish over low heat until the vegetables become soft.
- Squash caviar is rolled into sterilized jars for the winter.
Spicy caviar
When adding spices, you can get preparations with a spicy aftertaste:
- One hot pepper is peeled and finely cut into thin strips. Two small carrots need to be grated on a coarse grater. 0.5 kg of zucchini is cut into thin rings. Finely chop the onion and three garlic cloves.
- All vegetables are mixed in one container, then put in a frying pan, pour in oil and a little water.
- The caviar is stewed until all the ingredients are soft.
- The resulting mass must be ground in a blender to obtain a porridge-like mixture.
- Simmer the vegetable mixture over low heat until it reaches the required density.
Caviar in a slow cooker
Cooking squash caviar in a slow cooker allows you to significantly save time and effort on homemade preparations:
- 1 kg of zucchini and three peppers are peeled and cut into cubes.
- Separately chop two carrots and two onions.
- Pour vegetable oil into the multicooker, then lay out the prepared vegetables, add salt, ground pepper, and dill.
- On the multicooker, turn on the “Stew” mode for one hour.
- During this time, chop the tomatoes (2 pieces) and chop 6 cloves of garlic.
- After the end of the stewing mode, add the remaining components to the container and mix the caviar.
- The multicooker is set to the “Cooking” mode, which lasts one hour.
- Then you need to wait until the vegetables have cooled, then the caviar is crushed in a blender.
- The appetizer can be served at the table.
Georgian recipe
Delicious squash caviar according to the Georgian recipe is prepared from unusual ingredients. To prepare it you will need to use a multicooker:
- One carrot is grated to form large shavings. Three onions are cut into small rings.
- The specified components are placed in a multicooker and the “Baking” mode is set for one hour.
- Zucchini is cut into pieces and added after 15 minutes to the slow cooker.
- After 30 minutes, chopped cilantro and dill, garlic, half a teaspoon of the spicy hop-suneli mixture and ground paprika are added to the caviar. The vegetable mass is thoroughly mixed and left until the multicooker ends.
- The last step is to add grape vinegar and crushed nuts in the amount of 1 tbsp. l.
Caviar with apples
Unusual in taste and simple preparations of squash caviar for the winter are obtained by adding apples to the caviar:
- Cut 1 kg of zucchini into cubes, removing the peel and seeds if necessary.
- Chopped vegetables are placed in a frying pan and fried, then minced in a meat grinder. Do the same with onions. For caviar, 2 onions are enough.
- Three carrots and three large apples are peeled. The apples are cut into 4 parts, then the seed boxes need to be removed. Carrots and apples are also minced through a meat grinder.
- Tomatoes (5 pcs.) are dipped in boiling water for a few minutes, then the skins are removed. The pulp must be minced through a meat grinder.
- The resulting mixture is placed in a pan with thick walls, a little sunflower oil is poured in and put on fire.
- Tomatoes are added 5 minutes after the vegetable mass boils.
- The finished dish is served to the table or rolled into jars.
Caviar in the oven
Another way to easily prepare caviar is to bake vegetables in the oven:
- Vegetables are prepared for caviar: you need to peel 3 zucchini, 4 carrots, 3 bell peppers, 3 onions, 1 garlic. Additionally, 7 tomatoes will be required for the preparations.
- Grate carrots and zucchini on a fine grater. The remaining components are finely chopped.
- All vegetables are placed in a cast iron container, salt and oil are added, and then mixed.
- Cover the container with a lid and place in the oven for an hour. The oven temperature should be 200 degrees.
- After half an hour, you need to lower the temperature.
- Ready caviar can be rolled into jars or served.
Conclusion
You can prepare delicious squash caviar at home. For this you will need fresh vegetables: zucchini, carrots, tomatoes.Spices are added to create hotter or spicy dishes. Simple recipes help reduce preparation costs when using a minimum set of products.
Particular attention is paid to the choice of cooking utensils. Preference should be given to metal products with thick walls. A slow cooker or oven will help simplify the process of preparing caviar.
