Spicy Eggplant Appetizer for the Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make spicy eggplant to can for the winter? Gather all your ingredients. Choose small eggplants with firm, matte skin — those field-grown ones have the best flavor. Use in-season peppers, too.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the eggplants, trim off both ends, and cut them into rounds about 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick.

3. Step 3:

   

   Salt the rounds and let them sit for about 20 minutes. This seasons them and draws out any bitterness.

4. Step 4:

   

   While the eggplant sits, make the pepper sauce. Remove the stems from the chili peppers but leave the seeds in. Remove the stem and seeds from the bell pepper. Peel the garlic. Roughly chop both kinds of pepper.

5. Step 5:

   

   Put the garlic and chopped peppers into a blender.

6. Step 6:

   

   Blend until smooth. You can also run the vegetables through a meat grinder instead.

7. Step 7:

   

   Add the salt and sugar.

8. Step 8:

   

   Pour in the vinegar. This recipe uses 6–9% vinegar (standard table vinegar); if you're starting from a stronger concentrate, dilute it 1:8 first.

9. Step 9:

   

   Add a little cooled, boiled water to loosen the sauce to a pourable consistency.

10. Step 10:

    

    Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant until golden, usually about 5 minutes per side over medium heat.

11. Step 11:

    

    Sterilize your jars however you prefer. I pour a little water into each and microwave them for 5–7 minutes, but you can also sterilize them in the oven at 210°F (100°C) for about 30 minutes, or scald them or hold them over steam. For the lids, boiling them for 5 minutes is enough.

12. Step 12:

    

    Dip each eggplant round into the pepper sauce.

13. Step 13:

    

    And pack them snugly into the jar.

14. Step 14:

    

    Pour any remaining pepper sauce over the top. Seal the jars tightly. No further processing is needed, and you can store these without refrigeration.

15. Step 15:

    

    Enjoy!