Zacuscă (Moldovan Roasted Vegetable Spread)
In short: A rich, smoky spread of roasted eggplant, red peppers and onion slowly cooked with tomato paste, delicious on bread or with polenta. It takes about 3 h 10 min in total and makes 12 servings.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 2 h 30 min
- Total
- 3 h 10 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 210 kcal
Zacuscă is the vegetable spread that fills Moldovan pantries every autumn, when peppers and eggplants are at their cheapest and sweetest. The vegetables are roasted until the skins blister, peeled, chopped and cooked for a long time with onion, tomato paste and oil until the mixture turns thick, dark and almost jammy. It is eaten on fresh bread, alongside cheese, and on fasting days. Making it takes a while, but it is mostly waiting.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 230°C (450°F). Prick the eggplants and roast them with the peppers on lined trays, turning once, for 40 to 50 minutes for the eggplants and 30 to 40 minutes for the peppers, until the skins blister and the flesh collapses.
- Put the peppers in a covered bowl for 10 minutes to steam, then peel, seed and chop them finely. Peel the eggplants, drain them in a colander for 20 minutes and chop them finely.
- Cook the onions in 100 ml of the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat for 12 minutes, until golden.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes, until it darkens. Add the peppers, eggplants, bay leaves, salt, sugar and black pepper.
- Simmer on low heat, uncovered, stirring often, for 1 hour 15 minutes, adding the remaining oil in two portions, until the spread is very thick and the oil rises to the surface.
- Cool, remove the bay leaves and taste for salt. Pack into clean jars and refrigerate.
Tips
- Drain the roasted eggplant well. Excess liquid lengthens the cooking time and makes the spread watery.
- Stir often toward the end. The thick mixture sticks and scorches easily.
Questions and answers
How long does homemade zacuscă keep?
In the fridge, up to 2 weeks in a clean covered jar with a thin layer of oil on top. It also freezes well for up to 6 months.
Can I can zacuscă to store it at room temperature?
Only with a tested low-acid pressure-canning method. Oily vegetable spreads are not safe to process in a water bath, so refrigerate or freeze it unless you have the proper equipment.
What is zacuscă eaten with?
Fresh bread or toast is the classic. It is also spread on cheese sandwiches, served with mămăligă or eaten on fasting days.
How long does it take to make Zacuscă (Moldovan Roasted Vegetable Spread)?
About 3 h 10 min in total: 40 min of preparation and 2 h 30 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Zacuscă (Moldovan Roasted Vegetable Spread)?
About 210 kcal per serving, with 3 g of protein, 17 g of carbohydrates and 14 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 210 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Sodium | 300 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
