September
2006
Zacusca!
One of the highlights of the autumn in any respectable Romanian house is the making of the Zacusca for winter. What is Zacusca, you ask? Basically, a paste containing eggplants, red peppers, onions, celery, tomatoes, carrots, sunflower oil and spices. (at least that’s my family’s recipe). We decided this year to make two kinds - one with this recipe, the other with beans instead of eggplants.
The process is labourious and tiring, since you usually make enough to feed a small army, but the result is worth it, since it can be used for anything from sandwiches to Zacusca Chicken.
Here’s the how-to:
Day1
Start on the first day by carefully controlling the beans for any vermin or sand, while the toddler in your lap coordonates the beans by size, colour and other more obscure criteria. Place the good beans in water and let them soak there until the next day:
Continue by making a big fire in the backyard, trying not to alert the firemen in the process:
Place the eggplants on the grill and roast them to oblivion (or until they are black and soft to the touch)
After you’re finished with the eggplants, do the same to the red peppers.
Peel the eggplants, let them drain until the next day on a wooden board , peel the red peppers. Receive gracefully your new “veggie inquisitor” title. Watch from a safe distance the chopping of the onions. Peel the celery and the carrots before collapsing from exhaustion.
Day2
Start by washing every jar that has a matching lid from the household. Go buy some more jars when you realise they will clearly not be enough. In the meantime, praise your mom for baking the beans , boiling the celery and the carrots and pureeing the tomatoes.
Grind the peppers, add them and the chopped onion to the celery/carrot/tomato/oil mix that’s been cooking on very low fire, stir ocasionally. Add salt, pepper, a few bay leaves. Then, after the oil appeared on the surface, put half of the mix over the beans and cook separately , stirring every 5 minutes, until ready (aka when the oil, now deep red, reappears on the surface)
Add the pureed eggplants to the half that remained in the original huuuuuuuge pot. Stir vigorously. Cook until the oil becomes visible.
Put in jars. Put the bean zacusca in jars. Put the lids on immediately. Place in a warm environement (for example between lots of pillows), let it cool slowly without being disturbed until the next day. Store in a cool, dark place. Eat in the following year.
I’m drooling. I haven’t tasted zacusca in years.
I’ve never tasted zacusca, but I’m drooling anyhow. That looks SOOOOO yummy.
Even the name zacusca is fun to say.
Ditto on the drooling! I’ve heard the word “zacusca” before, but when I was in Russia, where it generically meant any sort of appetizer - and some were better than others. This zascusca, however, looks scrumptious!
Hmmm, these days I live in Japan. In the countryside. Where they grow lots of eggplants and red peppers, just coincidentally. Maybe I should give this a try! (But in smaller quantities…)
mist: I know, sounds like something you say after somebody sneezed.
Margie : good luck, and tell us about the result
Raluca and Mrs.S - coming to Ro anytime soon?
Looks yummy! Love the photos..
Cheers!
A labor of love. Yum!
wow. this sounds great! I want to try this. But, um like a lot less. Why do you only do this once a year? It sounds like it would be a great all year round dish!
It’s done in DSeptember because that’s when all the ingredients are ripe and available. Since the finished zacusca doesn’t “expire” for 1-2 years, once/year is all it takes.
oh… well if I ever come to Romania I am going to look you up and have some zacusca with you!
Shoot, Zacusca! That is somethinf i could really really appreciate right now. With of course some really good bread.Usually it is all sweetened bread here in asia…:-( I’ll come back to you to get the recipe some day (or even better, come over to help make it…)
Sandra, there are about 50 jars of this goodness ready to be eaten. Too bad you’re not here to share one with us
.. then again, someday you’ll get back to Ro and stay for a week or two at our house and we’ll make up for all the time since we last saw each other.
Ooohwee, that sounds delicious. I am going to try that out tomorrow. Thanks!
Mmmm, I’m eating some homemade zacusca right now!
hello guys,
I am a romanian girl living in Paris,France..and preparing right now zacusca for my Boyfriend,who loves it
.. if somebody feel to try, i’ll tell you just do it at home in a normal four to grill the vegetables and after ,peeling them and having the tomates cooked and mixed with the paned onion and you drop sell and peper..(u ll drop more oil over the preparing proces)..let it at very slow fire,on the stove and when it’ll be less then half of the initial quantity it wi be ready. Stir often so that it doesn’t stick.quantity:
6 onions
6 bell peppers
8 eggplants(aubergines)
12 tomatoes
300 gr oil
anjoy it
Oh man, I miss the homemade stuff so much. All we have around here in Chicago is ajvar, the Polish equivalent. And honestly, it doesn’t even compare with the stuff my grandma used to make in Romania.
But now that I have a 4-day weekend, I might try this
I am about to make some- I had Ajvar in Croatia and it was so good Ive googled to get recipe, i am intrigued with the beans- I must try different recipes and do a taste test! thanks for inspiration