Skillet Eggplant Spread

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   To make skillet eggplant spread you'll need eggplant plus a few vegetables for flavor: tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. You can also add herbs and any spices you like, along with salt, sugar, and sunflower oil.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash all the vegetables well, peel the ones that need peeling, dry them, and cut them up. Cut the eggplant into small cubes; you can peel the eggplant fully or partially — I usually peel it in stripes.

3. Step 3:

   

   Cut the bell pepper into strips or small pieces. The color doesn't matter — green, red, or orange, as here. Different-colored peppers just give the finished spread a different look.

4. Step 4:

   

   Cut the tomatoes in half (or smaller, if they're large), put them in a blender or food processor, and blitz to a purée — or leave some small chunks if you'd like to see a little tomato texture in the finished spread.

5. Step 5:

   

   Pour the sunflower oil into a skillet, heat it, and add the roughly chopped onion. Cook it gently until translucent so all its flavor goes into the oil. There's no need to fry the onion until crisp — deeply browned onions aren't the healthiest, so as much as you may love that crispy edge, it's better to stop in time. The choice is always yours, of course!

6. Step 6:

   

   Add the eggplant cubes to the pan and keep cooking gently, stirring constantly.

7. Step 7:

   

   Add all the prepped eggplant this way and lightly sauté it.

8. Step 8:

   

   Next, add the chopped pepper, stir, and let everything cook together for a bit.

9. Step 9:

   

   Now add the puréed tomatoes and simmer everything together until done.

10. Step 10:

    

    At the very end, add the minced garlic, spices, salt, and sugar. Taste and adjust the salt or sugar to your liking. You can serve the spread right away, or pack it into sterilized jars and seal them with boiled lids to keep for winter.