Greek cuisine gave the world many tasty vegetable dishes, including eggplant. In Greece, these vegetables are available year-round, so here they are rarely cooked in large quantities, conserving for future use. However, on the basis of Greek snacks from “blue” our compatriots came up with recipes that allow them to be closed in banks for long-term storage. Eggplant in Greek is a range of appetizers in the spirit of Greek cuisine, not always similar to each other. If you belong to the admirers of Mediterranean cuisine, you should make several options for such dishes.
Cooking Features
Greek recipes for eggplants can vary greatly, there are no uniform rules for making these foods for the winter. However, a few general principles of preserving the “blue ones” still exist, these nuances do not depend on the chosen recipe.
- Eggplants may contain solanine, this harmful substance gives them bitterness. To get rid of solanine “blue” is soaked for 20 minutes in a solution of salt (20 g per 1 l) or salted. After the eggplants are washed with running water, dried with a towel. If the recipe provides for boiling vegetables in salted water, they do not need pre-soaking, but before cooking they need to be cut or chopped in several places with a toothpick.
- Sometimes the technology of cooking eggplants in Greek involves sterilizing them in cans. This is convenient to do if the containers are small and have the same volume.
- When cooking eggplants in Greek for the winter, containers should be sterilized for them, boil suitable lids for them. If the vegetables will be in the fridge, you can close them with plastic covers. For storage indoors, canned food is rolled up with metal lids to ensure tightness.
- The storage conditions and shelf life of eggplants in Greek depend on the recipe according to which they were prepared.
The technology of cooking eggplant appetizers in the Greek style can vary considerably. Avoid mistakes and get the expected result will allow accurate execution of instructions accompanying a particular recipe.
Eggplant Greek Salad
Composition (1 l):
- eggplants - 0, 3 kg;
- carrots - 0, 25 kg;
- onions - 0, 25 kg;
- Bulgarian pepper - 0, 25 kg;
- tomatoes - 0.5 kg;
- salt - 10 g;
- sugar - 30 g;
- table vinegar (9 percent) - 25 ml;
- garlic - 4 cloves;
- dried basil - 5 g;
- vegetable oil - 50 ml;
- black and red pepper - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Eggplants cut into large cubes, cover with saline solution, hold in it for 20-30 minutes, wash, let the vegetables dry.
- Dip the tomatoes with boiling water, remove the skin from them, cut into cubes.
- Free the onions from the husk, cut them in small pieces.
- Peel carrots, chop grated with large holes.
- Pepper seeds, cut into thick quarters of rings.
- Heat the oil in a pan, fry the onion and carrot in it for 5 minutes.
- Add pepper, continue frying for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggplants, after 5 minutes, add the tomatoes. Extinguish the appetizer until the eggplants are ready.
- Add salt, sugar, vinegar, crushed garlic, ground pepper and basil. Bring snack to boil, remove from heat.
- Spread hot salad over sterilized cans, roll them up tightly.
For this simple recipe, eggplants are prepared without sterilization, but they stand well at room temperature.
Stuffed Eggplants in Greek
Composition (for 3-3, 5 l):
- small eggplants - 2 kg;
- onions - 1, 5 kg;
- tomatoes - 1, 5 kg;
- fresh parsley - 50 g;
- fresh dill - 50 g;
- sugar - 60 g;
- salt - 50 g;
- refined vegetable oil - 0, 2 liters.
Method of preparation:
- Peel the tomatoes. Grind using a meat grinder or blender to a state of mashed potatoes. Mix with sugar and salt.
- Cut onion into thin half rings, fry it in oil, using approximately 100 g of this product.
- Finely chop the greens, mix with the onions.
- Wash the eggplants; cut deep pockets in the center. Soak “blue” in saline for 30–40 minutes, rinse, dry.
- Fry the eggplants on all sides until soft in the remaining butter. Start them with onions and greens.
- Put eggplants tightly in jars.
- Boil the tomato sauce, cover the vegetables with it.
- Cover the jars with lids. At the bottom of a large pot lay a towel. Put on it cans with snacks. Pour water into the pan so that it reaches the shoulders of the cans.
- Bring water to a boil, sterilize the jars for 60 minutes, if they are half-liter, 90 minutes - if they are liter. Such long-term sterilization is necessary due to the fact that canned food is made without vinegar.
- Remove the jars from the pan, roll them up immediately. Turn over, cover with a blanket, leave to cool in steam bath conditions for additional preservation.
Despite the fact that the eggplants for this recipe were prepared without vinegar, it is not necessary to keep them in the refrigerator - any cool room, even an unheated pantry, will do.
Stuffed Eggplants Without Sterilization
Composition (3 liters):
- eggplants - 1, 5 kg;
- Bulgarian pepper - 0, 2 kg;
- carrots - 0, 5 kg;
- parsley - 40 g;
- chili pepper - 1 pc .;
- lemon juice - 20 ml;
- garlic - 4 cloves;
- vegetable oil - 60 ml;
- salt - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Wash eggplants. In each vegetable, make a longitudinal section, as if cutting a deep pocket in it.
- Boil water, add salt (20 g per 1 l), dip eggplants in it. Blanch them for 10 minutes.
- Drop it in a colander. When the vegetables have cooled, crush them with your hands to squeeze out excess liquid, cut off the tips of the fruit.
- Grind carrots grated for Korean salads.
- Peel sweet pepper, cut into thin long strips.
- Pass the garlic through the press; cut the pepper into small pieces.
- Heat the oil and fry the carrots in it until soft.
- Combine sweet and hot peppers, carrots, garlic. Add lemon juice to them, mix well.
- Spread the eggplant filling, complementing it with parsley sprigs.
- Fold the eggplants in a saucepan, cover with a plate, place a jar of water or other weight on top. Leave for 2 days at room temperature.
- Put the eggplants in the jars, carefully tamping them. Pour the brine, in which they were sour.
- Close the cans of nylon caps and store in the refrigerator.
An appetizer made according to this recipe looks very appetizing, has a unique taste, but it can only be stored in the refrigerator and not more than 4-6 months.
Eggplants in Greek do not have as savory taste as most of the usual snacks from these vegetables, but their organoleptic qualities will not definitely disappoint you.
