The best eggplant lecho recipes for the winter, with and without sterilization.

During the winter season, you want to treat your loved ones to a vegetable salad. But, aside from potatoes, carrots, and onions, finding an abundance of vegetables is difficult or expensive. Therefore, it's best for home cooks to start stocking up early and consider preserving their favorite foods. One of the healthiest and most popular winter preparations is eggplant lecho, recipes for which are discussed in today's article.

Features of the vegetable

Eggplants are small, purple fruits. They are rich in vitamins B, B2, C, PP, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and sodium. They are beneficial for heart disease and fluid imbalances.

Blueberries are recommended for stabilizing brain function, preventing anemia, increasing hemoglobin levels, and promoting weight loss. The fruit is low in calories, containing only 50 calories per 100 grams.

The subtleties of cooking eggplant dishes

To prepare this most beneficial vegetable for the winter, you need to read the following recommendations:

• Prepare a dish from ripe vegetables: blue ones, tomatoes, peppers, carrots.
• The preparation of eggplant lecho differs from the standard recipe by using more spices. Garlic, onion, bay leaf, dill, parsley, and black pepper are used.

• Add vinegar to the snack as a preservative and additional flavoring ingredient.
• Use eggplants with low solanine levels. You can test the level by cutting into the flesh. If the fruit immediately turns white, it's not toxic.
• To prevent eggplant from browning when sliced ​​and to ensure a pleasant, non-bitter flavor, sprinkle the chopped berries with salt and let them sit for 5 minutes. The fruit will release juice, which will remove the bitterness. Use less salt in this case.

• Don't mince the vegetables or chop them with a metal knife. Otherwise, the lecho will acquire a metallic taste. It's better to use a ceramic knife and wooden spatulas.
• Canning containers and lids must be sterilized. The vegetable mixture is then placed into the sterilized containers and sealed. The snack is cooled under a blanket. During this time, internal pasteurization occurs. The cooled treat is stored.

When steam sterilizing, remove the canning containers from the bowl only after water begins to drip down the sides.

How to select and prepare blueberries for canning

The key to a delicious dish is properly prepared vegetables. Choose medium-sized, round eggplants for this preparation. The berries are dark purple with uniform green stems. The skin should be firm, free of damage and rot. Inside, the vegetable contains soft flesh with small seeds and no visible voids.

Secrets of preparing vegetables for cooking

1. Before cooking, wash the eggplants thoroughly and cut off the stem and tail.
2. Peeling young berries is not necessary, as the skin is not thick and will preserve the natural shape and flavor of the fruit. Peel older berries with a vegetable peeler.
3. Prick the vegetables with a fork, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse the fruit to remove any bitterness.
4. Soak vegetables cut into circles or bars in water with lemon or citrus juice.

Prepare the remaining vegetables in advance as well. Remove stems and seeds from the peppers, peel the onions and garlic, and peel the tomatoes (blanch them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, making a small cross-shaped cut on the top) and the stem.

The best lecho recipes for the winter

There are countless ways to preserve vitamin-rich fruits. The flavor of the preserves varies depending on the ingredients used, including the combination of spicy, hot, or sweet-and-savory seasonings.

Classic recipe

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes – 3 kilograms.
2. "Blue" peppers - 1.5 kilograms each.
3. Sugar – 3 tablespoons.
4. Oil – 110 milliliters.
5. Salt – 60 grams.

Preparation:

1. Wash vegetables and soak in cold water for 20 minutes.
2. Blend the tomatoes.
3. Boil the tomato mixture for 35 minutes. Add salt and oil. Cook for 20 minutes.
4. Chop the blue peppers into strips and add them to the tomato sauce. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

Cook the peppers precisely. If you shorten the cooking time, the pepper will be soggy. And if you overcook it, it will become overcooked and lose its shape.

5. Place the treat into jars and roll up.

With ground paprika

Ingredients:

1. "Blue" - 1 kilogram.
2. Tomatoes, peppers – 500 grams each.
3. Onion – 200 grams.
4. Garlic – 5 cloves.
5. Paprika – 5 grams.
6. Salt – 1 teaspoon.
7. Sugar – 2 tablespoons.
8. Oil – 2 tablespoons.
9. Vinegar – 40 milliliters.

Method of preparation:

1. Grind the tomatoes in a blender.
2. Chop the pepper into large slices.
3. Cut the eggplants into wide slices.
4. Peel the onion and garlic. Chop the onion into half rings and press the cloves through a garlic press.
5. Heat oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until soft. Then pour in the tomato mixture and bring to a boil.
6. Add spices, salt and sugar to the pan.
7. Once boiling, stir in the chopped vegetables and berries. Cook for another 30 minutes, stirring.
8. 5 minutes before the end of cooking, season the mixture with vinegar.
9. Immediately pour the lecho into jars. Seal the containers with lids.

With carrots

Ingredients:

1. Carrots, peppers, onions – 0.5 kilograms each.
2. Tomatoes – 1 kilogram.
3. "Blue" - 2 kilograms.
4. Garlic – 1 piece.
5. Salt – 35 grams.
6. Sugar – 100 grams.
7. Vinegar – 50 grams.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Prepare tomato paste from tomatoes in a blender.
2. Chop the blueberries and pepper into wide slices.
3. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
4. Peel and chop the garlic cloves.
5. Bring the tomato puree to a boil. Add chopped vegetables, salt, sugar, and vegetable oil to the pan. Simmer for 40 minutes.
6. Stir in vinegar 5 minutes before it's ready.
7. Place the hot mixture into bottles and seal.

Cooking method in a multicooker

Components:

1. Tomatoes – 0.5 kilograms.
2. "Blue" carrots - 300 grams each.
3. Pepper – 400 grams.
4. Onion – 200 grams.
5. Hot pepper – 1 piece.
6. Garlic – 3 cloves.
7. Butter – 50 grams.
8. Sugar – 25 grams.
9. Bay leaves – 2 pieces.
10. Vinegar – 30 milliliters.

Cooking plan:

1. Chop the tomatoes and red pepper in a blender.
2. Chop the carrots into cubes.
3. Cut the "blue" ones into strips.
4. Peel the onion and cut into half rings.
5. Cut the bell pepper into strips.
6. Oil the multicooker bowl and heat it on the "Fry" setting. Add the chopped onion, carrot, bell pepper, and eggplant to the hot bowl. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid open, stirring occasionally.
7. Fill a bowl with tomato puree. Add salt, sugar, bay leaf, and vinegar essence to the mixture. Stir and add the garlic. Cook for 1 hour on the "Stewing" or "Soup" setting.
8. Pack the hot mixture into jars and seal.

Canning with tomatoes and peppers

Canned vegetables containing blue cherries, tomatoes, and peppers are considered the most filling and rich in vitamins. This is precisely the amount of vitamins from aromatic vegetables that is lacking in frosty weather.

Products:

1. Tomatoes – 3.5 kilograms.
2. "Eggplants", pepper - 2 kilograms each.
3. Oil – 0.25 liters.
4. Salt – 60 grams.
5. Sugar – 125 grams.
6. Vinegar – 50 grams.

Preparation procedure:

1. Prepare the tomato puree. Season the mixture with salt, sugar, and vinegar and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Add diced eggplant and pepper to the tomato juice. Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes.
3. Roll up the workpiece.

"Belorusskoe" without vinegar

Ingredients:

1. Oil – 0.1 liters.
2. Salt – 17 grams.
3. Sugar – 50 grams.
4. Tomatoes – 1.5 kilograms.
5. Peppers, "blue" - 0.8 kilograms each.

Preparation:

1. Boil the tomatoes, pureed in a blender, for half an hour with salt, sugar and vegetable fat.
2. Add the bell pepper pieces and eggplant slices to the tomato mixture. Simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Pour the boiling mixture into containers and preserve.

Eggplant with onions

This finger-licking good eggplant appetizer has become a true highlight among winter vegetable preservation methods. This treat is considered a delicious, aromatic, and original delicacy.

Components:

1. Tomatoes – 1 kilogram.
2. Eggplants – 2 kilograms.
3. Pepper, carrot – 0.45 kilograms each.
4. Onion – 1 kilogram.
5. Garlic – 1 piece.
6. Salt – 100 grams.
7. Sugar – 125 grams.
8. Vinegar – 30 grams.

Preparation:

1. Pour the tomato puree into a saucepan and place over low heat.
2. Once boiling, add the vegetables. Sprinkle the mixture with sugar, salt, and vegetable oil, and stir.
3. Simmer the mixture for 50 minutes.
4. At the end, stir in the vinegar.
5. Pour the boiling lecho into bottles and seal.

In Georgian with "blue"

This Georgian appetizer is distinguished from other dishes by the characteristic spiciness of the eggplant. The unique flavor is achieved through the generous use of hot pepper and aromatic spices, such as khmeli-suneli.

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes, “blue” – 1.5 kilograms each.
2. Hot pepper – 3 pieces.
3. Sweet pepper – 0.8 kilograms.
4. Salt – 17 grams.
5. Sugar – 100 grams.
6. Butter – 100 grams.
7. Vinegar – 50 grams.
8. Spices – to the cook’s taste.

Preparation:

1. Blend the tomatoes. Boil the mixture in a saucepan for 5 minutes with granulated sugar, salt, and butter.
2. Add chopped blueberries and sliced ​​peppers to the tomato puree. Simmer the lecho base for 25 minutes.
3. Add vinegar, spices, and garlic. Stir the mixture and cook for half an hour.
4. Seal the boiling mixture in jars.

With the addition of tomato paste

Lecho can be prepared not only with natural tomatoes, but also using tomato paste diluted with water in equal parts.

Products:

1. "Blue" peppers - 1 kilogram each.
2. Onions – 500 grams.
3. Tomato paste – 500 grams.
4. Water – 0.5 liters.
5. Sugar – 75 grams.
6. Salt – 17 grams.
7. Bite - 40 grams.

Cooking plan:

1. Mix the tomato paste with water. Add salt and sugar. Bring to a boil.
2. Add chopped onion to the boiling mixture.
3. After 7-10 minutes, add coarsely chopped blue peppers. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Pour in the vinegar and steam the lecho for 2 minutes.
5. Roll up the snack in a disinfected container.

Marinated with mushrooms

Mushrooms can add variety to lecho. This dish is equally flavorful whether made with wild mushrooms or store-bought varieties. And the resulting dish will taste like marinated mushrooms.

Components:

1. Eggplants, peppers, champignons – 0.5 kilograms each.
2. Tomatoes – 1.5 kilograms.
3. Onion – 1 kilogram.
4. Salt – 50 grams.
5. Oil – 130 milliliters.
6. Vinegar – 80 milliliters.
7. Sugar – 125 grams.

Preparation:

1. Mix the chopped tomato puree with vegetable oil and seasonings. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add chopped vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Pour in vinegar.
4. Roll up the snack into clean canning containers.

Eggplant preserves are often the primary cause of food poisoning due to the formation of botulinum toxin. To avoid this, it's important to wash both the vegetables and the utensils properly and thoroughly.

With baked eggplants

Ingredients:

1. "Blue" tomatoes - 2.5 kilograms each.
2. Sweet pepper – 1.5 kilograms.
3. Vegetable oil – 120 milliliters.
4. Vinegar – 60 milliliters.

You can prepare an appetizer with baked eggplants in the following way:

1. Cut the eggplant into pieces. Bake in the oven at 220 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
2. Puree the tomatoes and mix with the spices.
3. Chop the sweet pepper into slices and add to the tomato puree.
4. Boil the mixture for 20 minutes. Add the eggplant and vinegar. Time the mixture for 5 minutes.
5. Roll up the snack into disinfected containers.

Option without sterilization

Products:

1. Eggplant – 4 kilograms.
2. Pepper – 2 kilograms.
3. Tomatoes – 1.5 kilograms.
4. Garlic – 1 piece.
5. Hot pepper – 1 piece.
6. Salt – 35 grams.
7. Sugar – 0.2 kilograms.
8. Vinegar – 100 grams.

Preparation:

1. Mix tomato juice with salt, sugar and vinegar.
2. Add the eggplant strips, pepper, and garlic to the tomato mixture.
3. Place the mixture on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook the vegetables for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Place the mixture into clean bottles and preserve.

Rules for storing blanks

It's important to remember the proper storage conditions for canned vegetables. The shelf life of canned vegetables is 1 year, but properly processed vegetables can be stored longer. Store the sealed jars in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate opened cans immediately and consume within 14 days.

Before uncorking the bottles, check the cap for bulges. If there's any bubbles, cloudiness, or foam, the canned food is spoiled and should not be consumed.