Tomatoes-peppers sauce, or “Salata Kocha” (i.e. “cooked salad”), as it is known in Ladino, is a condiment that can be found in any Sephardic household at any given time. The sauce is cooked until it has almost jam-like texture and is used for just about anything: as a side for roasted beef or chicken, or fried fish dishes, with pastries such as Boyos and Burekitas, as a spread for sandwiches, as a base for cooking eggs…you get the picture!
In the following recipe, the sauce is added to fried eggplant slices. Here, again, the uses are numerous – serve them at room temperature as an appetizer with thick yogurt or cheese, as a side dish for all of the above mentioned foods, in sandwiches with cold cuts – or in any other way you choose.
Notes:
* As you can see from the photos, the peppers I’ve used are pale green with thin skin (sometimes sold as “gypsy peppers”). Do your best to find them, as they are the only ones suitable for this sauce.
* As for the tomatoes, the best type would be Roma tomatoes. Other types will also work, but may need longer cooking time.
* The sauce is rustic, so the tomatoes are not peeled. If you prefer a more delicate sauce, you can remove the skins before cooking, as shown HERE.
* Sprinkling the eggplants with salt for a few hours, makes them absorb minimal amount of oil while frying. Don’t skip this step, or you’ll end up with soggy and oily eggplants.
* For best results, top the fried eggplants with the sauce while still warm.
* The sauce will keep, in an airtight container in the fridge, for 7-10 days. The eggplants – for about 3 days.
* For more information about Sephardic origins, check under THIS post.
Makes: 6
Make ahead time for the eggplants: 4 hours/overnight
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking/frying time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
For the eggplants:
1 medium eggplant
Coarse salt
Oil for frying
For the tomatoes-peppers sauce:
2 Tbs olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ jalapeno pepper, or to taste, chopped
5-6 medium tomatoes (see notes), roughly chopped
2 large green peppers (see notes), roughly chopped
2 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1. The eggplants: with a serrated knife, remove the ends and cut the eggplant into medium thick slices. Place the slices on a work surface and sprinkle a bit of salt on both sides. Place in a colander and let the eggplants “sweat” for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. When ready to fry, pat dry and squeeze the slices gently with paper towels.
2. Preheat oil for shallow frying in a large pan over medium-high heat. Fry the slices until golden on both sides. Place on paper towels, to absorb extra oil.
3. The tomatoes-peppers sauce: preheat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and jalapeno and fry for 30 seconds. Add the green peppers, mix and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Mix and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 40 minutes, mixing occasionally, until the tomatoes break down, the peppers are soft and most of the liquids evaporated. The consistency should be like a thick jam. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
4. Arrange the fried eggplant on a serving plate, add a spoonful of warm tomatoes-peppers sauce on each fried slice. Serve at room temperature.
What a great way to eat lots of vegetables, it looks delicious and healthy. I love the fact that the sauce is cooked ’till jam like consistency, I can almost taste it.
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Thank you Myra! Indeed it is a wonderful and tasty way to consume vegetables. The sauce is so good – it’s a “must have” in my fridge! 🙂
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I’m going to make it 🙂
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Glad to hear. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do! 🙂
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Lovely dish Ronit. So fresh looking.
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Thank you Conor! This dish is one of my favorites, especially when freshly cooked and on top of a fresh, crusty slice of bread… 🙂
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Wow, what a fantastic combination of flavors!
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Thank you Kathryn! It’s quite amazing how something so tasty comes out of very few basic ingredients. 🙂
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All my favorite veges! Looks delicious!
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Same here! Glad you liked it. 🙂
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When peppers are in season – like NOW! – I make this combination of peppers/tomatoes a lot, usually adding mushrooms and onions. I keep a pile of it in the fridge, and then (like tonight), I can slap together a pizza with nearly no effort at all! The crust is rising in the bread machine at this very moment!
Salting the eggplant makes all the difference in the world. I seldom keep them in nice slices like that, opting instead to really squeeze the heck out of the salted slices, and then fry the pieces with other veggies as you show. The brown “juice” that comes out is very bitter, and if you have chapped hands or a cut on your hands, you will know exactly where it hurts!
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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Yes tomatoes and peppers is a great combination. I like the idea of using it as a pizza sauce as well.
As for the salting the eggplants, it really makes such a great difference. well worth the work! 🙂
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This dish looks so colorful and healthy! What a great way to enjoy eggplants!
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Thank you Tonya! This dish is so simple and yet so tasty. 🙂
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That’s the perfect combination, Ronit. 🙂
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When eggplants is the star ingredient, you certainly have my vote of confidence! 🙂 Delicious!
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Thank you Loretta, I glad we have the love of eggplants in common. Delicious indeed! 🙂
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Ronit, it’s interesting for me to see something I never saw in my Sephardic mother-in-law’s kitchen. Is this similar to the sauce for huevos con tomat? I love the combination of tomatoes and eggs.
By the way, I love your photography. Everything always looks so delicious!!
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Thank you Joyce, for such a compliment about my photos. I use a very simple camera and try my best – so it’s good to know it somehow works! 🙂
How interesting that you never saw “Salata Kocha” in your mother-in-law’s kitchen. I guess it’s a personal preference. In any case, it’s really delicious with eggs.
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Absolutely mouth-watering. I just made salsa verde this weekend for the 5th or 6th time since you posted the recipe… I took some photos this time, maybe I will post them. This is another one of your recipes that is making my must-make list. Thank you!
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Thank you Annika, I’m so glad to know you’ve enjoyed the salsa verde recipe, and that you like this recipe as well. Such tasty sauces in the fridge make it easier to prepare tasty foods in no time! I’ll be happy to see your post. 🙂
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You’re welcome! You are right, having such sauces in the fridge are a lifesaver. I have some salsa verde and pico de gallo left over from the weekend which I will pair with some Indian-spiced fish for tonight’s dinner.
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Sounds delicious! 🙂
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I love eggplants, this dish is so simple yet packed with flavors! Lovely!
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Thank you Freda, I love eggplants as well! It is amazing how such a tasty dish comes out from such simple ingredients. 🙂
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En Cataluña es muy tradicional un plato parecido; se llama “escalibada”. se asan berenjenas,pimientos, cebollas; se meten en el horno moderado. tu plato me lo recuerda.
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Thank you Marta, I’m very glad to learn that.
It makes perfect sense, as Sephardic culture and food started in Spain. Ladino, the language Sephardic people speak, is actually old Spanish.
Unfortunately, I don’t speak it fluently, but I understand a lot of it, and some of your comment too. 🙂
Using Google translate:
Gracias Marta, estoy muy contento de saber que.
Tiene mucho sentido, ya que la cultura sefardí y la comida se iniciaron en España. Ladino, el idioma hablan los sefardíes, es una realidad española de edad.
Por desgracia, no hablo con fluidez, pero entiendo mucho de eso, y algunos de sus comentarios también.
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Thanks for the tip about sprinkling the eggplant with salt. I’m often disappointed when I fry eggplant for use in a recipe, and definitely plan to let my eggplant sweat in the future.
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Thank you Sheryl, I’m glad you found the tip helpful. It really makes a huge difference in texture, and reduces dramatically the amount of oil fried eggplants tend to absorb.
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I can just smell this dish!
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Thank you! It is indeed a very fragrant dish. 🙂
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How interesting! We call these peppers Cubanelle, but if they are omitted from this recipe, you get Matbucha, at least that’s how my daughter-in-law makes it. Thank you, Ronit, and Chag Sameach!
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Thank you Dolly, I’m glad you’ve found the recipe interesting.
Interesting to learn about other names for these peppers.
Matbucha is delicious, but it is different in that it contains far more spices, and is spicier.
חג שמח to you too! 🙂
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The way my daughter-in-law makes it, it is definitely edible liquid fire, you’re right!
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lol yes it is! 🙂
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Looks very fresh and healthy!! An amazing combination of flavours. Thanks for this share Ronit
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Thank you Sumith, I’m glad you liked the recipe.It’s my pleasure to share. 🙂
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Great recipe Ronit – I always appreciate your notes 🙂
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Thank you Judi, I’m you liked the recipe and found the notes helpful.:)
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Lovely recipe.It is so colourful with lot of healthy veggies.
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Thank you Anuradha, I’m glad you liked the recipe. It is indeed a very tasty way to consume vegetables. 🙂
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I could eat and eat and EAT this dish – so full of flavour.
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Thank you! I do tend to do just that when I make it! 🙂
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Lovely!
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Thank you Franck! 🙂
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This sounds so flavorful, I adore eggplants!!
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Thank you Marisa! Same here! 🙂
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Looks fabulous! The peppers look familiar, I think I’ve seen them in the farmers market here in TN. I have lots of Roma tomatoes in the freezer, and eggplant in the fridge, so I’ll try it this weekend. I might even use it for snacking when we watch the election returns next week.
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Thank you Glyn, I’m glad you liked the recipe and hope you’ll enjoy it. I will be happy to read your comments. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
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