Zacusca, Romanian Eggplant and Pepper Spread
Zacusca is what Romanian kitchens do with the last of the autumn eggplants and peppers, cooking them down over an afternoon into a dark, spoonable relish that gets jarred by the dozen for winter. It is a patience dish, not a difficult one: char the vegetables for smoke, sweat the onions until they collapse, then reduce everything low and slow until it thickens into something almost jammy. No oil is needed because the flavor comes from roasting and reduction rather than frying. Smoked paprika reinforces the char, and a final splash of vinegar sharpens the whole pot. Spread it on whole-grain toast, spoon it beside beans and grains, or eat it cold from the jar, which is how most Romanians actually do.
Ingredients
- 2 larges Eggplant
- 3 wholes Bell peppers, red
- 2 wholes Yellow onions, finely diced
- 1 cup Canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Char the whole eggplants and peppers under a broiler or over a flame until the skins blacken and blister all over, then seal them in a bowl to steam for 10 minutes and slip the skins off. The char is where zacusca gets its smoke, the way the traditional version roasts over a wood fire; the blackened skins would turn it bitter, so peel them and discard.
- Meanwhile, sweat the onion in a few tablespoons of water over medium-low heat until deep gold and jammy, 12 to 15 minutes, then add the garlic and toast the tomato paste into it until it turns brick red. The slow onion and the toasted paste build the savory backbone of the dish with no oil.
- Chop the roasted eggplant and pepper flesh, add it with the crushed tomato, bay, and smoked paprika, and simmer low, stirring often, until the mixture darkens and thickens enough to hold a clean line when you drag the spoon, 30 to 40 minutes. Zacusca is cooked until the water is gone; that long reduction is the entire dish, so do not rush it.
- Stir in the vinegar and black pepper, pull the bay, and cool. It sets further as it cools and tastes better the next day, so make it ahead; it keeps a week in the fridge.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 80 calories, 2 g protein, 4 g fiber, 35 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
