Eastern European · Lunch · Snack · Breakfast
Zacuscă (Romanian Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Spread)
Zacuscă
A smoky, slow-simmered spread of roasted eggplant and sweet red peppers with soft onion and tomato. It is made with far less oil than the traditional preserve and served on toasted whole-wheat bread.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 115 min
- Serves
- 8
Calories come from: Carbs 56% · Fat 31% · Protein 13%
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Ingredients
For 8 servings- 2 medium600 geggplant
- 4 large700 gred bell peppers (or kapia peppers)
- 1 large200 gyellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp48 gtomato paste
- 3 tbsp40 gsunflower oil
- 1/4 cup60 gwater
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tspsweet paprika
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper, ground
- 8 slices256 gwhole-wheat bread
Steps
- 1
Heat the oven to 220 °C (430 °F) and line a large tray with baking paper.
- 2
Prick the eggplants a few times with a fork and place them on the tray with the whole peppers.
- 3
Roast for 35–40 minutes, turning once, until the skins are blistered and the flesh is very soft.
- 4
Put the hot vegetables in a covered bowl for 10 minutes so the skins loosen.
- 5
Peel the peppers, discard the stems and seeds, and chop the flesh finely.
- 6
Peel the eggplants and chop the flesh finely, draining off any bitter juices.
- 7
Warm the sunflower oil in a heavy pan over medium-low heat and cook the onion for 8 minutes until soft and golden.
- 8
Stir in the tomato paste and paprika and cook for 1 minute.
- 9
Add the peppers, eggplant, water, bay leaves, salt and black pepper and stir well.
- 10
Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring often, until thick and jammy.
- 11
Remove the bay leaves, taste for seasoning, and let the spread cool.
- 12
Toast the bread slices and spread each with a generous layer of zacuscă.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use jarred roasted red peppers, drained and chopped, instead of roasting fresh peppers to save time.
- Swap the sunflower oil for the same amount of olive oil or any neutral vegetable oil.
- For a gluten-free option, serve the spread on a certified gluten-free bread or on cucumber slices instead of whole-wheat bread.
- Replace the sweet paprika with smoked paprika for an even smokier flavour without grilling the vegetables.
Storage
Refrigerate the cooled spread within 2 hours in a clean airtight container and use within 3 to 4 days; serve it cold or at room temperature, and keep the toast separate since it is best made fresh. The spread can be frozen in portions for up to 3 months, then thawed in the fridge and stirred before serving.
Make ahead
Make the whole spread up to 3 days ahead and chill it, as the flavour improves overnight. Toast the bread just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Gluten
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (239 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 182 kcal | 76 kcal |
| Protein | 6.2 g | 2.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 27.1 g | 11.3 g |
| of which sugars | 9.5 g | 4 g |
| Fiber | 6.8 g | 2.8 g |
| Fat | 6.6 g | 2.8 g |
| of which saturated | 0.8 g | 0.3 g |
| Sodium | 447 mg | 187 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
