Georgian-style Eggplants for Winter

Bright, spicy Georgian-style eggplants for winter will delight lovers of this vegetable with their spicy taste and abundance of equally delicious vegetable filling. Firm, with a dense structure, the blue ones are first fried in oil and then layered in jars together with ground bell pepper, chili pepper, garlic, and herbs. A bit of vinegar, salt, sugar, and moderate sterilization will ensure reliable storage of the preparation.

Yield: 2 jars (each with a capacity of 0.5 liters).

Cooking time: 1 hour.

Caloric content: 66 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Ingredients

• eggplants – 750 g;
• coarse salt (for eggplants) – 2/3 tbsp;
• bell pepper – 400 g;
• chili pepper – 1-2 pcs;
• garlic – 35-40 g;
• parsley + cilantro – a total of 45 g;
• white sugar – 2/3 tbsp;
• coarse salt (for dressing) – 1/2 tbsp;
• 9% vinegar – 1.5 tbsp;
• odorless vegetable oil for frying – 60 ml.

Preparation

1. To prepare Georgian-style eggplants for winter, gather the ingredients. It's best to choose young and not overly large eggplants for a dense pulp. Ideally, choose red bell pepper to give the preparation a bright and attractive color. The amount of spicy chili pepper can be adjusted to your preferences.

2. Wash the eggplants, cut off the stem, and slice them into circles about 1-1.2 centimeters thick without peeling.

3. Place them in a deep bowl and sprinkle with salt (2/3 tablespoon). Mix and let sit for at least half an hour. During this time, a bitter juice will be released that can spoil the taste of the finished product.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and cut it into pieces suitable for grinding. The chili pepper can be ground whole along with the seeds, as they contain the most heat.

5. Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the bowl.

6. Load all the contents into a grinder or meat grinder. In a meat grinder, the texture of the dressing will be slightly different, more coarse, but it won't affect the taste.

7. Grind the vegetables until they reach a mushy consistency.

8. Finely chop the herbs.

9. Transfer the ground pepper and herbs mixed with garlic to a bowl. Add salt, sugar, and vinegar.

10. Mix everything and set it aside for a while so that the salt and sugar dissolve. Sterilize the jars and lids.

11. In a skillet, heat a small amount of oil. Squeeze the moisture out of all the eggplant circles so they absorb less oil during frying and don’t splatter. Place the eggplants in the skillet and set the heat to medium. Fry the circles on both sides until lightly golden.

12. When frying a new batch, add about 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Place the finished eggplants on a plate.

13. Lay the first layer of eggplants at the bottom of the jar.

14. Cover them with the dressing (about 2 tablespoons).

15. Thus, alternating layers, fill the entire jar.

16. Cover the preparations with lids (without twisting them). Both screw caps and jars that require canning can be used.

17. Lay a cotton cloth at the bottom of a large pot and place the jars in it. Pour cold water up to the shoulders of the jars and place the entire setup on the stove. Once boiling, sterilize the preparations in half-liter jars for 15 minutes (in liter jars – for 20 minutes).

18. Then carefully remove the jars and screw on the lids. Check the reliability of the seal by turning the preparations upside down. Allow them to cool naturally.

You can store the Georgian-style eggplants for winter in a regular kitchen cabinet, although, as always, a cool place is preferable. In any case, the preparation will keep well until the next harvest. In cold weather, it’s always a joy to treat yourself and loved ones to a bright spicy vegetable snack made from eggplants and bell peppers.

Try it, bon appétit!