Zucchini caviar with mayonnaise and tomato paste

Zucchini caviar, a winter recipe with mayonnaise and tomato paste, is a delicious and easy way to preserve zucchini. The preserves will keep well until spring in a cool basement or cellar. In a city apartment, store the preserves in the refrigerator.

Instead of vinegar and a generous amount of sunflower oil, this recipe simmers vegetables in a ketchup-mayonnaise sauce. It's incredibly delicious!

Preparation time: 60 minutes. The ingredients listed will make several 500 ml jars.

Ingredients:

• zucchini – 2.5 kg;
• carrots – 0.5 kg;
• onions – 0.5 kg;
• bell pepper – 0.5 kg;
• garlic – 1 head;
• chili – 2 pcs.;
• mayonnaise – 250 ml;
• tomato paste – 250 ml;
• ground red pepper – 5 g;
• sunflower oil – 100 ml;
• sugar – 30 g;
• salt – 20 g.

We also recommend that you prepare assorted cucumbers and tomatoes.

Method of preparation:

Dice the onion. Crush the garlic cloves with a knife. Heat refined, odorless oil in a deep, thick-walled pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until translucent.

Add coarsely grated carrots to the onion and garlic. Grated carrots will cook faster than chopped ones.

Then add the coarsely diced red bell pepper and, if you like spicy vegetable caviar, two chili peppers with seeds. If you don't like spicy food, you can omit the chili pepper and ground pepper.

Thinly slice the zucchini and add it to the other ingredients. In early summer, the zucchini can be cooked with the skin on, but in the fall, peel it and remove the seeds.

Add mayonnaise, tomato paste, sugar, plain table salt, and ground red pepper to the vegetables.

Simmer the vegetables over low heat for 45-50 minutes. Then puree with an immersion blender and bring the vegetable puree back to a boil.

Rinse the jars with boiling water. Dry them in the oven at 90-100 degrees Celsius. Pack the hot caviar into the jars. Make sure there are no air pockets, as the vegetable puree will be thick.
Sterilize 500 ml jars for 12 minutes. Seal and cool at room temperature. Store in a cool place.