Sweet Eggplant Relish for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather the ingredients from the list. Wash and dry all the vegetables. I used a non-bitter variety of eggplant, so I just cut it into small cubes. If your eggplant is bitter, soak the cut pieces in salted water for half an hour, then drain and rinse them again.

2. Step 2:

   

   Large, overripe tomatoes that aren't good for canning whole are perfect here. Cut the tomatoes into pieces and cut out the stem ends; if the skins are thick and tough, blanch the tomatoes in boiling water and slip them off. Put the tomato flesh in a deep bowl and blend it smooth.

3. Step 3:

   

   Peel and grate the carrots. Cut the bell peppers in half, remove the seed cores, and cut the flesh into strips.

4. Step 4:

   

   Peel the onion and cut it into small cubes. Peel the garlic cloves and dice them.

5. Step 5:

   

   Pour vegetable oil into a skillet and heat it. Sauté the vegetables, stirring with a spatula, until the carrots are soft and the onion is translucent.

6. Step 6:

   

   Pour the tomato purée into an enamel pot, set it over the heat, and bring it to a boil, stirring with a spatula.

7. Step 7:

   

   Stir the sautéed vegetables into the tomato base.

8. Step 8:

   

   Then add the eggplant, bell pepper, and garlic, stir, and let the mixture come to a boil. Add the sugar, salt, and vegetable oil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing scorches on the bottom of the pot.

9. Step 9:

   

   At the end of cooking, pour in the table vinegar, let the mixture come back to a boil, and turn off the heat.

10. Step 10:

    

    Pack the vegetable mixture into sterile jars (washed with baking soda and sterilized ahead of time), seal them with sterile lids, and let them cool upside down under a warm blanket at room temperature. The preserve is ready. Store it in a cool place. Enjoy!