Lisa,

Delighted to pass along the eggplant caviar. I have been making this for many years and sharing a goodie is always such fun.

Many Russian recipes are not exact and this one is no exception. You, family and friends will have one of two reactions to it. Either love it and not want to stop eating or wish the thing had never come along. There is no middle ground.

Here goes.

This makes about a quart. As my Russian friend says, 'Serves 2-3 Russians or 6-8 normal people'.

Make it at least 4-5 days before serving. It will keep nicely in the frig for about 10 days to 2 weeks, if it lasts that long.

Serve on a dark bread lightly spread with unsalted butter. Tradionally, this is accompanied by tiny glasses of ice cold vodka. I cure this myself to give it it the authenssian but works.

1 medium eggplant
1 medium yellow onion, medium fine dice
1-2 medium tomatoes, medium fine dice
1 medium green Bell pepper, medium fine dice
Light cooking oil or olive oil (I like the olive oil for the flavor)
Apple cider vinegar

Bake the eggplant in a 300 degree oven until soft and wrinkled, about 30 to 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Peel and dice medium.

Use a deep sauce pan on medium heat. Heavily coat the bottom of the pan with oil. Saute the onion until transparent. Add the pepper and saute about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the eggplant and tomatoes. Mix well and reduce the heat to low. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Stir in and cook over low heat until liquid develops, about 20 to 30 minutes. At this point, taste carefully. It should have very slight undertones of oil and vinegar. Keep adding these 1 teaspoonful at a time, if needed. Sometimes, it will have a sharp flavor from the eggplant. If this happens, stir in sugar, a teaspoonful at a time until the taste mellows out.

Turn into a 1 quart jar with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate 4-5 days.

Enjoy !

I have other Russian recipes that are wonderful. Glad to share if you would like.

It seems that we are mutually fond of lemon as a flavor. I have some marvelous recipes, including the best lemon pie I have ever tasted. People who don't like lemon have been known to happily devour three pieces of this thing.

This has been a lot of fun. Looking forward to hearing from you.