Eggplants in tomato sauce

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This year (2022), the weather has been kind to us, so we've had a good harvest of almost every vegetable. Yesterday, we brought tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, carrots, and eggplants from the dacha. These are the essential ingredients for making a delicious winter snack. I'll say right away that the recipe doesn't call for specific quantities—I always make it by eye, but I do follow these guidelines:

• eggplants 3 parts of the total weight;
• onion – 2 parts (but this is an acquired taste – we prefer more of this ingredient in all dishes);
• carrots – 1 part;
• bell pepper – about 1.5 parts (generally, the Ratunda variety tastes best, but we didn’t have a good harvest of it this year);
• Tomatoes – it’s hard to even say, we initially make a lot of juice and use it for various preserves (one liter jar of snacks will take about 200 ml).

Sometimes we add zucchini (if we don’t have enough eggplants), but we like the salad better with just eggplants.

How we prepared:

• First, peel all the vegetables. Eggplant is optional. For example, if the skin is already a bit tough, remove it; if it's milky-soft, leave it on.
• Now cut the eggplants. The best way is to dice them. Try to make sure all the pieces are the same size.
  
• We also finely chopped the onions. Don't make them too small, otherwise the flavor won't come through.
  
• We also dice the bell peppers. The resulting sizes vary widely.
  
• Carrots can also be diced, but the pieces need to be small so they have time to stew properly. I'd like to point out that my mother once taught me one piece of wisdom: if carrots aren't cooked thoroughly, the jars will bulge. The same goes for other dinner dishes: if they're undercooked or undersimmered, the soup or gravy will quickly go sour.
  In recent years, we've been simply grating carrots on a coarse or fine grater. The vegetable imparts a wonderful golden hue.
  
• We also chop the tomatoes, cut them into pieces, and put them through a meat grinder. You can also use a juicer, but it's a matter of taste. For example, it's great for tomato juice, but for preserves, it's better to leave the tomatoes with the seeds.
  
• Now we can start cooking. First, we transferred the chopped tomatoes to a large saucepan and placed it on the stove. The tomatoes can burn, so be sure to purchase a heat diffuser (if you have a gas stove) to prevent them from burning.
  We first waited until it boiled, then reduced the heat to medium-low (too low won't achieve the desired simmer). A foam will form on the surface as it cooks—be sure to skim it off. After boiling, I simmer the tomato for about 20-30 minutes.
  
• I first poured the onion into the pan and sautéed it briefly (until it was lightly golden), then the carrots. Since I don't have a huge frying pan, I transfer the sautéed vegetables to the pot in which the mixture will be cooked.
  I fry the remaining ingredients separately and add them to the mixture. I pour in the tomato sauce until it just barely covers the vegetable mixture.
  
• Place the mixture on the stove and cook until done. It's hard to give an exact cooking time, as the cooking time depends largely on the quantity of vegetables (the fewer, the faster it cooks) and the quality of the pan (double-bottomed or single-bottomed, depending on the material of the pan, etc.). While cooking, season the mixture with salt, add a little ground black pepper, bay leaf, and peppercorns. I use black peppercorns, but you can add allspice if you prefer. To enhance the flavor, you can chop more parsley and dill and simmer them in the mixture as well.
  
• While the salad is cooking, wash the glass jars and new lids in water and dish soap. Separately, boil water in a kettle or other vessel. I use a liter enamel mug, place a special sterilizing stand on it, turn the washed jar upside down, and sterilize for about 10 minutes.
  
  But sometimes I sterilize using other methods as well. Everyone has their own method. For example, if I'm canning tomatoes or cucumbers, I simply scald the jars with boiling water, cover with boiled lids, and let them sit for about 5 minutes.
• Next, I place the sterile jar on a flat plate and insert a wide funnel on top (I have a special one that fits comfortably under the neck of the jars).
  
• I fill each jar with the prepared vegetable mixture.
  
• I seal them with lids. Then, as usual, turn them over and cover them with a warm blanket. I'd like to mention lids: when I'm canning alone, I try to use jars designed for screw-on lids—it's convenient, easy, and quick.
  

Well, here's my salad. We like to serve it with any meal. It's perfect not only as an appetizer but also as a snack. For example, you can spread it on bread like caviar.

My advice: it's not necessary to fry all the vegetables separately. You can mix them all together and fry them in batches.

Bon appétit to all!