Zacusca
Zacuscă is a popular Romanian vegetable spread. There are several ways how to make it. Here is one of the simplest.
Ingredients
1 large eggplant
1-2 tomatoes
1 red pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
0,3-0,4 dl vegetable oil
0,5 chili pepper (optional)
salt
Directions
Place the vegetables on a flat baking dish sprinkled with oil and bake about 1 hour or until the skins of the eggplant and pepper turn dark. The garlic and onion bake faster - take them out of the oven when they have become soft and slightly brown. Also, take out the tomato earlier.
Remove the skins of the eggplant, pepper and tomato, as well as the seeds of the chili and pepper. Place the vegetables in a bowl and process with a hand mixer until you have a mixture which is smooth but has some texture. Add salt and oil. Keep in a cool place before serving. Serve on bread.
Instead of baking the vegetables in the oven, you could grill them. This amount makes about 1 small bowl of spread.
