Eggplant Salad for Winter (No Water-Bath)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make eggplant salad for winter? Gather all your ingredients. This is best made in late summer, when the markets are full of fragrant tomatoes and firm eggplant. Choose small eggplants with smooth, matte skin, and tomatoes that are meaty and — most of all — fragrant.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the eggplant, trim off the stem ends, and cut into medium cubes.

3. Step 3:

   

   Cover the diced eggplant with lightly salted water and let it sit for about 10 minutes to draw out the bitterness. Then drain.

4. Step 4:

   

   Seed and stem the peppers and cut them into strips.

5. Step 5:

   

   Peel the onions and slice them into thin half-moons. They'll peel much faster and easier if you soak the bulbs in cool water for about 20 minutes first.

6. Step 6:

   

   Wash the tomatoes, remove the stem ends, and cut into cubes. You can swap in tomato paste — use about 150 g of paste in place of every 1 kg (about 2 lbs) of fresh tomatoes.

7. Step 7:

   

   Put all the chopped vegetables in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the salt and sugar.

8. Step 8:

   

   Pour in the vegetable oil and vinegar. This uses regular 6–9% table vinegar; if all you have is vinegar essence, dilute it with water at a 1:8 ratio.

9. Step 9:

   

   Let the vegetables stand for about 30 minutes to release their juices.

10. Step 10:

    

    Bring the vegetable mixture to a boil and simmer over low heat, stirring now and then, for 40 minutes.

11. Step 11:

    

    While the vegetables cook, sterilize the jars however is easiest for you. I pour a little water into each jar and microwave them for 5–7 minutes, but you can also hold them over steam or set them in a 210°F (100°C) oven for about 30 minutes. Boil the lids for 5 minutes.

12. Step 12:

    

    Spoon the salad into the sterilized jars.

13. Step 13:

    

    Seal tightly with the lids or a jar sealer. No water-bath processing is needed here — this salad keeps fine at room temperature, no fridge required.

14. Step 14:

    

    Enjoy!