Finger-licking zucchini and eggplant caviar recipes for the winter, with or without vinegar, in a slow cooker or on the stovetop

Everyone wants to treat themselves to a tasty and healthy treat during the winter. However, to preserve these vitamin- and nutrient-rich vegetables for the cold season, they need to be preserved. There are many different recipes for these delicious dishes, but in this case, we'll look at how to prepare squash and eggplant caviar and then preserve it for the coming winter.

Features of preparing caviar for the winter

When preparing this delicacy, you will encounter several points that you should pay attention to:

1. To ensure that the finished dish has a rich flavor and retains an abundance of vitamins, it is necessary to use ripe fruits.
2. When preparing a quality product, it is recommended to follow the recipe and combination of ingredients.
3. Depending on the expected taste effect, the optimal composition of additional ingredients is selected during preparation.
4. To prepare it, you need to completely peel the fruits and then puree them using a blender.
5. To ensure that the food does not lose its vitamins and nutrients, it is necessary to adhere to the correct preservation technology.

By keeping these points in mind, you can prepare a wonderful dish that will complement your winter diet with the flavor of summer vegetables.

Vegetables harvested or purchased in the summer are used for canning, as in winter, products are filled with additional ingredients that accelerate the ripening process, resulting in the loss of natural flavor and vitamins.

How to select fruits

Before you begin canning, you need to select the required quantity of eggplants and zucchini. It's recommended to consider the following when selecting:

• the fruits used must be ripe;
• For canning, it is recommended to use small vegetables;
• to preserve vitamins and taste, choose whole fruits;
• It is not recommended to use vegetables with damaged skin;
• overripe zucchini and eggplants are not suitable for canning;
• Fruits from diseased bushes should not be used.

It is not advisable to use unripe fruits for canning, as they do not contain the necessary flavor, and in addition, they lack an abundance of vitamins and nutritional properties.

Also, when choosing fruits, you should rely on the recipe for preparing winter preparations so that the dish has a pleasant taste.

Preparing the ingredients

Once you've collected the required amount of zucchini and eggplant, you can begin preparing them for the upcoming salting and canning process:

• the fruits of "eggplants" and zucchini must be thoroughly washed with water to remove dirt and any soil;
• Afterwards, you need to dry the vegetables to remove any moisture that has accumulated on the fruit skin after washing;
• it is necessary to peel the eggplants and zucchini from the skin and other components present on the surface (tail);
• To prepare caviar, you need to remove the seeds from the vegetables;
• Subsequently, the workpiece is cut into small pieces and passed through a blender or meat grinder.

There's no need to mix the ingredients before cooking. The zucchini is chopped into a separate bowl.

To prepare caviar, you should finely chop the pieces of vegetables to create the most intense flavor for the preserved dish.

How to prepare zucchini and eggplant caviar

There are many ways to prepare this dish, but the best taste comes from preserves made according to the following recipes:

• zucchini caviar with baked eggplants;
• quick cooking with apple cider vinegar;
• caviar with large pieces of vegetables and garlic cloves;
• a dish without product preservation;
• Zucchini and eggplant caviar without vinegar.

Each option under consideration differs in its taste and method of preparing the delicacy.

Zucchini Caviar with Baked Eggplant "Finger-Lickin' Good"

To prepare you will need: zucchini (3 kilograms), eggplant (1 kilogram), onions and carrots (300 grams each), tomatoes (2.5 kilograms).

The procedure for preparing the dish is as follows:

• tomatoes are peeled;
• zucchini and eggplants are peeled and seeded;
• sliced ​​eggplants are baked in the oven;
• zucchini and onion are cut into small cubes;
• carrots are grated;
• everything is fried in separate pans;
• then all the ingredients are passed through a blender;
• all ingredients are simmered over the fire for 10 minutes;
• salt, vinegar, and pepper are added to taste.

At the end, the homogeneous mixture is spread into jars and then rolled under a metal lid.

A quick recipe with apple cider vinegar

To prepare you will need: 1.5 kilograms of eggplant, half a kilo of zucchini, ripe tomatoes (600 grams), onions (300 grams), sweet and hot peppers (to taste), garlic (a couple of heads).

The preparation procedure is as follows:

• all ingredients are peeled;
• Afterwards, they need to be cut into slices and chopped in a blender;
• the whole mixture is mixed in a saucepan and cooked for about an hour;
• For flavor, add about 20 milliliters of apple cider vinegar.

Afterwards, everything is poured into jars (adding bay leaf and allspice if necessary). The mixture is then sealed with an iron lid.

Cooking in a multicooker

To prepare, you'll need: 2 zucchini, 3 eggplants, 2 medium tomatoes, and 4 ripe onions. The cooking procedure is as follows:

• the onion is peeled, cut into cubes and placed in a multicooker for baking;
• the eggplants are peeled, chopped and sprinkled with salt, and then added to the onions;
• then add tomato slices and small eggplant cubes (everything cooks for 45 minutes).

Finally, add salt, vinegar, and stir, then simmer for another half hour. Then, pour the mixture into jars and seal with metal lids.

Sauteed caviar

This recipe doesn't require canning. There's no need to chop the fruit, as the recipe calls for chunks of vegetables. Let's look at the cooking process:

• 3 kilograms of eggplants are peeled and cut into pieces (it is recommended to soak the fruit in salted water afterward);
• one head of onion is peeled and chopped into small cubes,
• 500 grams of carrots are grated;
• You will also need a kilogram of peeled tomatoes;
• tomatoes are cut into small pieces;
• Additionally, you need to prepare 8-10 cloves of garlic (the fruits are grated);
• To add flavor, use bay leaf (1 piece), ground pepper, allspice (8 peas), vinegar (50 milliliters).

First, fry the onions and carrots for 10 minutes with vegetable oil. Then, combine all ingredients in a saucepan, add spices and salt to taste, and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, season the dish with pepper and sugar to taste, stir everything together, and serve.

Without sterilization

Any dish can be prepared without sealing it under a metal lid. The only condition is that the mixture is allowed to cool at room temperature immediately after preparation, then portioned out onto plates and eaten. Unsealed zucchini-eggplant caviar can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To eat the product immediately after preparation, we recommend choosing the classic "Finger-Lickin' Good" recipe or a dish cooked in a slow cooker, as they last the longest in the refrigerator.

Without vinegar

To make this vinegar-free treat, you can use a standard classic recipe. You'll need the following: eggplant (1.5 kilograms), zucchini (1 kilogram), tomatoes (600 grams), 3 heads of garlic, 2 hot peppers, and 5 bell peppers.

Let's look at the preparation procedure:

• all vegetables are passed through a meat grinder;
• everything is mixed in one pan;
• add 3 tablespoons of salt and 3 tablespoons of sugar;
• the mixture is stirred and cooked over low heat for about an hour;
• At the end, add spices to taste (ground pepper, bay leaf), keep the mixture on the heat for 3 minutes, and then stir.

The prepared mixture is poured into prepared jars and then sealed. Due to the lack of vinegar in the ingredients, the caviar will not keep for long. The optimal shelf life for the prepared mixture is six months, after which the preserves may spoil.

Although vinegar degrades the taste of the delicacy, it does help extend the shelf life of the product.

If desired, you can add 20-50 milliliters of table vinegar to this dish and other recipes to extend the shelf life of the caviar. If the caviar is not being preserved, but rather eaten immediately, adding table vinegar is not advisable.

Expiration date of caviar

Depending on the recipe, prepared caviar has a shelf life of no more than one week without canning. If pre-sterilized and sealed under a metal lid, the nutritional value of caviar can be preserved for anywhere from six months to several years, depending on storage conditions.

Storage rules

To ensure the long shelf life of prepared and canned caviar, it is recommended to consider the following storage recommendations:

1. Maintain high humidity in the storage area at all times.
2. There should be a low temperature here.
3. The jar must first cool to room temperature.

Important: Zucchini-eggplant caviar retains its beneficial properties and flavor for a long time, provided it is stored under optimal conditions.