Fried Eggplant and Bell Pepper Preserve with Garlic (for Winter)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make a fried-eggplant preserve for winter with bell pepper and garlic? Get everything ready. Rinse all the vegetables well under running water and pat them dry with paper towels. Which peppers should you use? Red ones are ideal, and the dish looks especially festive if you use peppers in a mix of colors.

2. Step 2:

   

   Pierce each pepper in a few spots with a fork.

3. Step 3:

   

   Trim the ends off the eggplant. Cut the eggplant into medium-thick rounds (about ⅓ inch).

4. Step 4:

   

   Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and fry the peppers on each side until nicely golden. Use a deep skillet with high sides, since frying makes a lot of spatter. If needed, cover the peppers with a lid now and then so you don't get burned by the hot oil.

5. Step 5:

   

   After the peppers, fry the eggplant the same way, on both sides, until done.

6. Step 6:

   

   Peel the garlic and rinse it with the chili pepper in clean water. Put the garlic and chili in a blender and blitz. Transfer to a small dish, add the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir. Let it sit for five minutes so the salt and sugar dissolve, then stir again. You can adjust the amount of chili, garlic, salt, sugar, and vinegar a bit to your taste.

7. Step 7:

   

   Dip each pepper into the marinade.

8. Step 8:

   

   Lay them in a single layer in a sterilized jar.

9. Step 9:

   

   Dip the eggplant rounds into the spicy-sweet-sour mixture too.

10. Step 10:

    

    Add them as the next layer after the peppers. Keep layering until the jars are full.

11. Step 11:

    

    Line the bottom of a large pot with a kitchen towel, set the jars in, and pour in warm water up to the "shoulders" of the jars. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a moderate simmer and sterilize the jars for about 15 minutes. I drop the lids into the boiling water for two or three minutes, then lift them out with a fork and set them on the jars.

12. Step 12:

    

    Seal the jars, turn them upside down, wrap them in a warm blanket, and leave them to cool completely at room temperature. Then move the eggplant and peppers to a cool spot for long-term storage. Mine sit on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

13. Step 13:

    

    Just a week later we tried the first taste of the fried-eggplant preserve. Incredibly delicious!