Last week we roasted eggplant with our godparents, then we put it in little bags in the freezer to have for the winter. What you do in the Winter is: half thaw the eggplant, chops it with a large knife, add finely chopped onion and garlic, olive oil and salt and you serve on bread with slices of tomatoes on the side. A perfect vegetarian meal.
We both spent 5 dollars each for a total of 26 kg of eggplant. And then spent another 2 hours making the fire and roasting those chubby eggplants while squatting and socializing up the hill in nature. Then we spent another hour the next day peeling them and putting them in bags.
This weekend we spent about 3 dollars for 5 kg of kapia peppers and we roasted them just like before. I found a recipe for some amazing winter pepper dish.
After you roast and clean them, you cut them into thin slices and you mix them with honey, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, and then boil them for 15 minutes. After that you put them in jars for later. As needed, you can serve as a side dish, along with meat or fish, or alone just as another vegetarian meal on toast.
This is how our parents and grandparents raised large families. It takes a little planning and jarring. Besides the fact that this is absurdly cheap, this year we had the time and inclination to engage in such cooking activities. And I loved it! Maybe next year we’ll increase the amount of stuff we prepare for winter, so we don’t fill our freezer with just pork from the village.
