Well, who doesn't know her! "Overseas eggplant caviar" evokes nostalgia for the times when it was prepared according to GOST, had excellent taste and was worth a penny. Now everything has changed, but eggplant caviar, as in the hostess's store, continues to cook. At the height of the vegetable season, blue ones are inexpensive, the assortment of other vegetables without which delicious caviar simply will not work, is quite large. And the price for them "does not bite".
Each housewife who is fond of canning has her own recipe for making eggplant caviar. Usually it corresponds to the taste preferences of all household members. But in order to get caviar from eggplant, like a store, you need not only to cook it in a certain way, but also strictly observe the proportions of the necessary 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 a lot of oil is needed with this cooking method. If you want the preparation to be sharp, 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. spoons, slides should not be. Do not use iodized salt for canning. The workpieces 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, dill.
Cut the medium-sized eggplants into cubes, not very large, place in a saucepan, sprinkle with salt. It will need 5 tbsp. spoons. Pour the mixed eggplants with water and soak for ¾ hour.
While the blue ones are getting wet, rub the carrots, cut the onions, tomatoes and peppers into cubes. If you intend to use hot peppers, you need to grind it with a blender.
Strain off the eggplants, rinse with cold water and dry. Fry the eggplants, onions, carrots, tomatoes alternately in vegetable oil.
Combine all vegetables in a saucepan, season with salt, pepper, sugar and cook for 40 minutes at low boil.
Beat the prepared vegetable mixture with a hand mixer. If the dish is intended for the winter, the caviar must be boiled again, and then packaged in sterile dry jars and rolled up.
You can act differently. Cover the jars with lids and sterilize in a water bath. For cans with a volume of 0.5 liters, 15 minutes is enough, liter cans will have to be sterilized for about 20 minutes.
Eggplant caviar, as in the store, can also be prepared from baked eggplant.
"Overseas" roe from baked eggplant
According to this recipe, eggplants are pre-baked. Such processing makes the workpiece softer, 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;
- turnip onions - 0.5 kg;
- refined lean oil - 200 ml;
- vinegar 9% - 5 tbsp. spoons;
- salt - a tablespoon with a large slide;
- sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons without a slide;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- greens, better than parsley - 1 bunch.
First of all, we bake the eggplants.This should be done at a temperature of about 200 degrees for about 40 minutes. Do not cut off the tails of the eggplant, then they will be soft along the entire length. They should be placed on a dry baking sheet.
All other vegetables are cleaned and chopped in a food processor. You can do this with a blender or meat grinder.
The easiest way to do this is by scalding the tomatoes with boiling water and then pouring cold water over them.
We clean the warm eggplants, chop and add 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 caviar, you can immediately serve it to the table. 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 stewed for an hour over low heat. You need to stir often. The finished product should be immediately packaged in sterilized jars and rolled up.
This recipe is taken from a Soviet-era book for public catering establishments. Therefore, it most of all comes close to the taste of store-bought eggplant caviar.
The author's name for the dish is "Nostalgia". Baked vegetables provide it with a delicate texture, garlic for a little pungency, and bay leaf for a spice tint.
Eggplant caviar "Nostalgia"
Since the main vegetables are baked for her, 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 eggplants, you will need:
- tomatoes - 3 pcs, also medium;
- onions - 1 pc;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- vinegar - 1 tsp;
- bay leaf - 1 pc;
- salt and pepper will be to taste.
We 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.
Cut the onion into small pieces, sauté with a small amount of vegetable oil until it becomes golden. At the very end, add finely chopped chives, fry together for 5 minutes.
Peel the eggplants and tomatoes and grind them together with the fried onions in a food processor.
Do not cool vegetables completely. They are best peeled off while still warm.
Simmer chopped vegetable puree in a thick-walled bowl over the lowest heat until thick. During this time, the caviar should acquire a standard, only inherent color. At the beginning of the languor, add salt and pepper to taste, add the bay leaf. When the caviar is ready, take it out and pack the blank into cans. They should be not only sterilized, but also dry. You need to close the jars with sterilized lids hermetically.
Store-like eggplant caviar is a versatile dish. It goes well with both potatoes and cereals and pasta. It can serve as a side dish for a meat dish and a spread on a sandwich. Mild taste and healthy ingredients are its main advantages. And the simplicity of preparation will allow even novice housewives to prepare eggplants for the winter.
