Zacusca {Roasted Red Pepper Spread}

Zacusca {Roasted Red Pepper Spread} | From Dill To Dracula www.FromDillToDracula.com

Romanians love dips and spreads. I’ve already featured Salata de Vinete, an eggplant salad spread, and today I’m excited to bring to you another smokey veggie goodness recipe: Zacusca (pronounced zah-coo-sk-ah). And… surprise! Even though the star of this recipe is the red pepper, there’s eggplant in this one, too!

Fall is the perfect time to make this recipe. With the Autumn harvest, there’s an abundance of fresh vegetables with robust flavors just waiting to be made into something anew. Zacusca is smokey, salty, a little sweet, a little acidic, and fits perfectly atop a slice of crusty baguette. This is also a great recipe to couple with my Coca Bread, or Romanian Flatbread. It’s quick and easy to whip up and gives you a nice carrier to get the zacusca to your mouth.

Since it does take a while to complete this recipe, I wouldn’t fault you for passing it up. Thankfully, zacusca has become more mainstream, with some specialty grocery stores stocking it on their shelves. Here are some options I found from Amazon: here, here, and here.

 

↓ Recipe below ↓

—But first, some pretty pictures—

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Salata de Vinete {Eggplant Salad}

Salata de Vinete {Eggplant Salad} | From Dill To Dracula www.FromDillToDracula.com

About a week ago I teased on Twitter that I had purchased the biggest eggplant I’ve ever seen, specifically for this recipe:

Twitter Tweet | From Dill To Dracula www.FromDillToDracula.com

I’ll let you be the judge of its size based on the pictures below, but seriously, it’s one massive eggplant. And it only cost me a dollar. I love the farmer’s market! This recipe took me a little longer than expected to cook up because of some unforeseen circumstances, but my eggplant survived the delay, and I’m so excited to share with you a delicious Romanian delicacy!

Growing up, eggplant was one of my favorite vegetables. It still is. That probably seems like an odd ingredient for a child to enjoy, but Salata de Vinete (pronounced sah-lah-tah de vin-eat) will change the minds of even the biggest eggplant hater’s (you know who you are). If you need convincing, here are 27 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Eggplant.

This recipe similar to our Middle Eastern friend baba ganoush (another favorite of mine), but with a Romanian twist. This spread embodies all the smokey goodness of an eggplant that’s been charred beyond recognition, and forget the spongy eggplant texture you might be familiar with, and say hello to a creamy dollop of heaven.

The only problem I ever had with this recipe as a kid was having to wait for it to chill in the refrigerator for an hour after my mother finished preparing it. Even with the summer coming to a close (say it ain’t so!), there are still plenty of occasions to introduce this Romanian delicacy to your next cookout or party—serve it with crackers, pita, baguette or veggies! Yum!

↓ Recipe below ↓

—But first, some pretty pictures—

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Transylvanian Bean Soup

Transylvania Bean Soup | From Dill To Dracula www.FromDillToDracula.com

Contrary to what you might think, this soup, in particular, is a staple of summer and not the bitter cold of winter. Take a second to let that sink in. I still haven’t convinced my husband of it, but it’s true! We’ve been so engrained to think soup = cold, but in Romania, this Transylvanian Green Bean Soup is often made during the warm months. No, it’s not cold like gazpacho; it’s served warm, with a dollop of  sour cream (or my alternative: Greek yogurt). You’ll love how the cream/yogurt plays off of the beans, turning a broth-based soup into creamy goodness (with less calories!).

This is the type of soup you can set and forget. I’ve made it early in the day, simmering until dinnertime. Of course, you can eat it right away, too, but the longer it’s cooking, the more the flavors marry together. I love when flavors marry!

↓ Recipe below ↓

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