eggplant spread

Ikra is a popular Slavic spread made of eggplant with a tomato sauce base. Ikra is also a word that means “caviar” in Russian, and this recipe is commonly known as eggplant caviar.

Ikra - Eggplant Spread

lb eggplants (3 lb = 2 medium size eggplants)

bell peppers

tbsp oil

carrot,

onion,

tomato sauce

salt

tsp black ground pepper

garlic, pressed ((optional))

parsley ((optional))

Preheat oven to 450F° with the rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easier cleanup.

Bake the vegetables: Place 2 eggplants and 3 bell peppers on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until soft. Rotate the vegetables several times to bake through on all sides. Next, remove the vegetables to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. This will sweat the veggies and allow for the skin to come off easier.Peel the skin off the eggplant and the peppers, discard the stems and seeds and juice. Chop the eggplant and the bell pepper finely with a knife.

Saute onion and carrots: While the vegetables are baking saute the vegetables. Dice 1 large onion and peel and grate 1 large carrot. Preheat a large skillet with 6 tbsp of oil, then sautee the onions over medium heat until slightly golden and translucent, stirring often. Next, lower the heat to low, add the grated carrots and continue to stir and saute, covering with a lid in between to cook the carrots thoroughly, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Combine and saute: Add the roasted and chopped vegetables to the sauteed carrots and onion. Also add 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, 1 tsp of kosher salt and 1/2 tsp of black ground pepper and 2 cloves of pressed garlic (if using). Stir and cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes until the Ikra is thickened and darkened in color. The sauteeing deepens the flavor.

Lastly add 1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley, if using. Stir, taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Allow to cool and serve.

Melitzanosalata, or Greek Eggplant Dip, is a simple yet tasty dish of roasted eggplant, garlic, oil, and lemon juice. It's perfect spread on toasted bread, or as party of a larger Greek meze party!

Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Dip)

eggplants

garlic,

extra virgin olive oil,

lemon juice

pepper

parsley leaves and olives

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place...

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the eggplants on a foil-lined baking sheet and prick a few times with a fork. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, turning every 15 minutes, until charred and soft.

Allow the eggplant to rest until cool enough...

Allow the eggplant to rest until cool enough to handle. Peel the skin away from the flesh (if this proves difficult, simple slice the eggplant in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the meat). Roughly chop the flesh and place in a colander to drain for 15 minutes.

Transfer the eggplant to a large bowl and...

Transfer the eggplant to a large bowl and gently mash with a fork. Add the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir well, taste, and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for one hour; serve drizzled with olive oil and topped with whole olives and a sprinkling of parsley.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/c54euz0aqviaa1kzmao7.mp4

Melitzanosalata, or Greek Eggplant Dip, is a simple yet tasty dish of roasted eggplant, garlic, oil, and lemon juice. It’s perfect spread on toasted bread, or as party of a larger Greek meze party!

Melitzanosalata, or Greek Eggplant Dip

Roasted Greek Eggplant Dip - Melitzanosalata, is a simple yet tasty dish of roasted eggplant, red pepper, onion, garlic, oil, and lemon juice. It&#x27;s perfect spread on crusty bread, toasted pita, crudités, or as part of a larger Greek meze platter!

Greek Roasted Eggplant Dip - Melitzanosalata

lbs Eggplants, purple (2-4 depending on the size)

Roasted Red Bell Pepper (jarred, diced to 1/2 inch pieces)

tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Scallions (finely sliced, white and green parts)

tbsp Parsley (only the leaves, finely chopped)

Garlic (roughly chopped)

tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

Lemon

Salt (to taste)

Preheat the grill , if using, or the broiler.

If using the broiler, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) and place a rack in the prepared pan.

Using a fork, pierce the eggplants all over, several times, and arrange them on the rack of the pan or on the grill.

If using the grill, roast the eggplants for about 30 minutes on the grill, turning them occasionally until the eggplants are soft (when pierced with a fork) and their skin is charred on all sides evenly.

If using the the broiler, roast the eggplants for about 45 minutes, turning them occasionally until the eggplants are soft (when pierced with a fork) and their skin is black  on all sides evenly.

When ready, set them aside for 10 minutes to cool. Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl.

Cut the eggplants lengthwise and using a fork scoop out the flesh and transfer to the strainer. If the eggplants have a lot of large seed, remove and discard the part with the seeds. Discard the skins.

Let rest for 15 minutes. Using a spoon, press occasionally to drain much of the eggplant juice. Discard the juice as it is very bitter.

While the eggplants are roasting, prepare the other ingredients.

Transfer the eggplant on a cutting board a roughly chop them. Transfer the chopped eggplants to a new mixing bowl.

Add the diced peppers, the parsley, the onions and set aside.

In a mini food processor, or the bowl of a blender, add the garlic, the vinegar, the olive oil and the lemon juice. Beat until the garlic is completed mashed and you have a thickened, light green mixture.

Add the liquid to the bowl with the eggplants and stir gently until all the ingredients are combined and the vegetables are spread evenly. Season with salt to taste.

Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, to allow the flavors to blend.

Terrific smoky eggplant caviar spread/dip! Perfect to spread over crackers for an easy, healthy, delicious appetizer.

Eggplant Caviar Recipe (Russian Style)

olive oil

eggplant

onion

tomato paste

tsp sugar

tsp pepper ground

garlic

Roast the eggplants: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).

Wash the eggplant, pat dry, and poke the skin sides of the eggplants with the tines of a fork all over. Brush with oil and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until completely cooked through and very soft.

Make sure to turn the eggplant for few times while baking.

After removing from the oven, wrap the eggplants in foil and place on a plate or cooling rack to cool down. Once cooled down that you don’t burn your fingers, start removing the skin. It should come off quite easily.

Slice the eggplants into small cubes.

Prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a medium pan, add olive oil and saute onion until translucent for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste/sauce and reduce the heat. Cook for 5 minutes more.

Add the sliced eggplants to the pan, season with salt, pepper, sugar, and add minced garlic. Stir everything well until all the ingredients covered in the sauce and let cook on low heat for about 7-9 minutes, constantly stirring.

Remove from heat and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs.

Best served warm but can be enjoyed as a cold spread with crackers, pita chips, crostini toasts, or for gluten-free option celery or cucumber sticks.

Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Spread (Zacusca) – the most delicious vegetable spread. Worth the effort, this is the perfect snack or appetizer that&#039;s extremely popular in Eastern Europe!

Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Spread

eggplant (grilled until charred)

capia peppers (or red bell peppers, grilled until charred)

pimento peppers (grilled until charred)

onions (chopped)

vegetable oil

salt (or

black pepper (ground)

bay leaves

Grill Eggplants:

Grill Eggplants: To grill the eggplants, make sure to poke holes in them with a knife, so they don’t explode! Grill them until soft and charred. They will take a good 30-45 minutes to get a nice char on them. Transfer them to a bowl and let them cool completely. Remove the peel, using a knife – if you’ve cooked them enough, the peel should come off easily. Try and get them as clean as possible with no char bits on them. Place them in a colander over a bowl and let them drain for a few minutes.

Grill the Peppers: 

Grill the Peppers: Grill the peppers, or roast them in the oven until they are almost completely charred. Let them cool completely. There are a couple ways to remove the peel. You can either peel them under running water or place them in a bowl with about a tbsp of salt. Cover them with a lid and let them rest for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes the peel should come off quite easily. Peel them and remove all the seeds from them. Also place the peppers in a colander over a bowl and let them drain for a few minutes.

Chop:

Chop: The next step you can do in small batches, depends how big your food processor is! Place some eggplant into the food processor and pulse a few times until the eggplant is finely chopped, but do not pulse it too much, you don’t want it to look like a paste. Repeat the same with the peppers.

Prep Ingredients

Cook Onions:

Cook Onions: In a very large pot heat the oil and add the onions. Cook the onions until soft, make sure not to burn them. They should just start to change color.

Add Ingredients &amp; Cook:

Add Ingredients &amp; Cook: Carefully add the eggplant and peppers and stir using a wooden spoon. Next, add tomato sauce, then add the salt, black pepper and bay leaves. This will require 3 hours of cooking over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally (I stirred every 10 minutes, just so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom).

Make The Spread

Prep The Jars:

Prep The Jars: Wash the jars with soap in scalding water. Put jars in a water-bath canner or on a rack set in a deep pot and cover with hot water.Bring water to a boil and boil jars, covered, 15 minutes from time steam emerges from pot. Turn off the heat and let them stand in hot water.

Place Jars in Oven:

Place Jars in Oven: Just before the spread is ready to be canned, place the jars (lids off) in the oven at 350F degrees for 10 minutes.

Fill The Jars:

Fill The Jars: Take them out and carefully fill the jars with zacusca, leaving about an inch left from the top. Place the lid onto the rim and, using one finger to hold the lid securely, twist on the screw band until it’s tight.

Finish And Let The Jars Cool:

Finish And Let The Jars Cool: Once this is done with all the jars, place them back in the oven and continue baking for another 15 minutes; after which you can turn off the oven, and let them cool in there for a few hours.

Sterilize Jars

I want to thank you for posting this recipe. My family and I enjoy it so much.I make a large batch every fall and freeze it in smaller portions to enjoy all year long.

Hi Jo, my mother in law told me not to cut down the oil as it’s needed to preserve long term. I made this before with my aunts recipe which is pretty much identical to yours. Probably due to location (they live in Cisnadie, Romanian)As a matter of fact I fell in love with this during a visit and asked for recipe, whichi wrote in Romanian and later translated to English. But I cut down the oil bc I figured I had accidentally written the wrong quantity.After storing approximately 9 months in my pantry,  I noticed the top of spread was greatly discolored. So we had to discard the rest (which was sad bc it was so much work). My mother in law said the oil rises to the top of jar for preservation as low acidity could cause spoilage. I’m sure your mother would agree with this explanation. I’m currently cooking up a batch with ALL the oil! Love your recipes as it’s easier than me trying to translate Romanian directions and quantities 😂

Wonderful! I finally found a recipe that makes me like eggplant!

Great recipe! I quartered the recipe and used red and yellow bell peppers. My Romanian husband says it “tastes like the real thing”! Very high compliment. I really appreciated the comment at the end that the quantities of eggplant and peppers are after roasted and cleaned. Thank you, Jo. 
I often use your Romanian recipes since they are written in English and quite authentic.

Top 5 eggplant spread recipes from across the web

The most viewed eggplant spread recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Ikra - Eggplant Spread

Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Dip...

Greek Roasted Eggplant Dip - Melitz...

Eggplant Caviar Recipe (Russian Sty...

Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Spread

Top 5 eggplant spread recipes from across the web

The most viewed eggplant spread recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Ikra - Eggplant Spread

Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Dip...

Greek Roasted Eggplant Dip - Melitz...

Eggplant Caviar Recipe (Russian Sty...

Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Spread

The most viewed eggplant spread recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine