Zacusca - a traditional Romanian

food

Zacusca is a traditional vegetable chutney made from fresh

seasonal vegetables.
READY IN: 2-3 hours
INGREDIENTS:
 3 kg onions
 3 kg egg plant
 3 kg bell pepper
 2 kg carrots
 2 l tomato juice
 Tomato puree
 Oil
 Salt to taste
 Black Peppercorns to taste
 Bay leaves to taste Â
 Optional – chilli peppers to taste

DIRECTIONS: The process of cooking the Zacusca is not complex .

1. All of the four primary ingredients need to peeled and chopped, and at this point we
gladly used a food processor for the chopping process. First, you have to peel and
chop carrots and onions .
2. The bell peppers and eggplant should be pre-cooked to soften them, and the skin and
seeds need to be removed from the peppers so the preparation process is not a swift
one.

3. Once the ingredients are ready, the traditional technique is to cook everything over an
open fire (which is, ideally, outside). The first step is to slow cook the onions in the
vegetable oil. If you have two pans / pots then you can start to cook the carrots at the
same time. You need to keep the heat relatively low and stir regularly to ensure even
cooking and no sticking and burning to the bottom. Controlling the heat level of an
open fire burning chopped wood is not the simplest of tasks but we managed well
enough. Once the carrots and onions are soft, you can then add the prepared eggplant
and peppers.

4. You now settle down to let the batch cook gently, stirring regularly. As ever with an
open fire, you start to get a smoked feel after a while. After approximately two hours
you add the tomato juice and puree to the mix, stirring all the way. You can also add
 bay leaves, salt and peppercorns to taste. For the adventurous, you can also add
chopped chilli peppers .
5. The rest of the cooking process is pretty simple – you stand and stir, adding wood to
the fire when necessary.

6. The legend is that the Zacusca is ready when the oil starts to bubble up to the surface.
The exact point at which this was clear was the source of much debate – if in doubt
taste the mix and judge whether it is soft and tasty enough for you. It’s ready when
you are happy !!
7. Now comes the final part of the preparation which means that no preservatives are
required. You put the Zacusca into jars with screw top lids (jam jars are a favourite).
The Zacusca is now good to eat and will remain safely in the unopened jars for a
period of at least two years.
8. Enjoy your meal!

Delicious!!