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Who does not like blue ones - as eggplants are affectionately called in the south. How many delicious of them you can cook! One dish of imambayaldi is worth something. Just like that, the imam will not faint. The trouble is that the season for the consumption of fresh eggplants is not too long - only 3-4 months. And so I want to enjoy this vegetable in winter. To extend the period of its consumption, you can make preparations for the winter. But first, let's figure out how eggplant is useful and how it affects health.
The benefits of eggplant
Eggplant cannot boast of a large amount of vitamins in its composition. A little, only about 5% vitamin C, a small amount of B vitamins, retinol, a little niacin and vitamin E, folic acid. The main benefit of eggplant is different - they have a lot of trace elements, including potassium, as well as fiber. And this is with a low calorie content, only 23 kilocalories per 100 g. This vegetable is useful for intestinal diseases, improves heart function, and helps to cope with atherosclerosis. And, of course, it is suitable for those who want to lose weight.
How to choose the right eggplant
In order for eggplants to bring only benefits, you need to choose them correctly.
Therefore, you need to cook only young fruits in the stage of technical maturity. It is easy to distinguish them - by their bright saturated color and light green stalk. The fruit should be firm and medium in size.
When a good and benign vegetable has been selected, you can start cooking it. Many people love fried eggplants, but with this method of cooking, all the beneficial properties of the vegetable are lost. To preserve them, the vegetable should be steamed or baked. You can also make winter preparations from baked eggplants, for example, caviar. Baked eggplant caviar for the winter will preserve all the beneficial properties of this valuable vegetable.
How to make baked eggplant caviar
This recipe has several variations. Let's consider each separately.
Recipe 1
The recipe is simple, but it takes a lot of time to cook. Usually, a fully finished product can be obtained in 3.5-4 hours. For caviar, you will need the following products:
- 2 kg eggplant;
- 1.5 kg of red tomatoes;
- 1 kg of red bell pepper;
- 600 g of onions;
- 700 g carrots;
- 3 capsicum. If spicy dishes are contraindicated for you, then you can do without them;
- vegetable oil - no more than 180 ml;
- salt, which is added to taste.
Exit - 4 jars of 700 g each.
Steps of preparation with a photo:
All vegetables must be rinsed well in running water. You do not need to cut off the stems of eggplants. We peel the onions and carrots and wash them again. We free the peppers from the stalk and seeds and rinse again.
To prepare caviar according to this recipe, eggplants are baked. Place a dry baking sheet with eggplants in an oven heated to 200 degrees.
Roasting time approx. 40 min. For even baking, turn the blue ones several times.
While the eggplants are cooking, let's move on to the other vegetables. Cut the onion into small cubes.
Grate the carrots or cut into thin cubes.
We also cut the tomatoes into cubes, like bell peppers.
Ready eggplants need to be removed from the oven and cooled slightly.
Now we cut each eggplant lengthwise into four parts, without cutting a little to the end, and put it vertically in a colander.
Saute the onion in a thick-walled dish, adding vegetable oil. Do not brown onions. After adding the carrots, simmer under the lid until the carrots are soft. This usually happens after 15 minutes.
Now add the tomatoes and simmer, now without a lid, until they become soft. Stir the vegetable mixture from time to time.
Add sweet pepper to the vegetable mixture, simmer for another quarter of an hour under the lid until the pepper is soft.
While the vegetable mixture is stewing, grind the peeled eggplants with a knife or meat grinder and add them to the finished vegetables. The mixture must be mixed well and simmer under the lid for an hour. Add salt and chopped paprika at the end of stewing.
We wash glass jars well, dry and fry in the oven. The lids need to be washed and boiled.
As soon as the caviar is ready, it is immediately laid out in banks and rolled up. Banks are wrapped in newspapers and a blanket for a couple of days.
Recipe 2
This recipe differs from the previous one in that very little vegetable oil is added to the caviar. Consequently, roe from baked eggplant will be less high in calories. The peculiarity of this recipe is that all vegetables, except for onions, are first baked, which allows them to preserve their taste and benefits.
To prepare caviar you will need:
- 6 medium-sized eggplants;
- 2 large sweet peppers;
- 10 small tomatoes;
- 2 onions;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- a bunch of your favorite greens;
- pepper and non-iodized salt to taste.
Cooking steps with photos
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My eggplants, peppers and tomatoes. Lightly prick them and put them in the oven, placing them in a dry baking sheet. The temperature in the oven is about 200 degrees. Roasting time approx. 40 minutes. Turn vegetables several times for better baking. Bake the eggplants until soft.
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While the vegetables are baking, sauté the onion, cut into small cubes, adding all the vegetable oil.
- We take out the finished vegetables from the oven and cool slightly. It is easiest to peel vegetables while they are warm.
- Peeled vegetables should be finely chopped. Further preparation depends on whether the caviar will be served immediately or will become a preparation for the winter.
- In the first case, it is enough to mix the components, add salt, pepper, finely chopped herbs and garlic passed through a garlic press. Further, according to the recipe, the caviar should stand for several hours in the refrigerator so that the vegetables are well saturated with garlic. Such caviar with white or black bread croutons is especially tasty.
- If you plan to make a preparation for the winter, the mixed vegetables should be stewed under a lid over low heat for about half an hour. Stir from time to time. Add pepper and salt, finely chopped herbs, season with garlic pressed through a press. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes and immediately place in sterile jars. The caps must also be sterilized. Roll up immediately. Turn over and wrap a blanket for a day. Eggplant caviar from baked vegetables is ready.
Conclusion
Vegetables prepared for the winter will not only diversify the menu, but also enrich it with useful substances.
