Wash and pat dry the eggplants and the peppers and arrange them on a roastin pan or baking sheet. Use baking paper so the vegetables don’t stick to the roasting pan.

Pierce the eggplants (aubergines) first with a knife or fork.

Bake the eggplants and bell peppers in the preheated oven at 390°F (200°C) for about 40 minutes for the bell peppers and 50-60 minutes for the eggplants (note 1).

Take them out of the oven and let them cool (for about 10-15 min) until they’re cold enough to handle. Then, scoop up the flesh of the eggplants and put it in a colander to drain for about 5 minutes.

Peel and dice the roasted red peppers.

Once the eggplant flesh has drained for about 5 minutes, dice it.

Peel and grate the onions. You can use a box grater or a food processor with the grating disc.

In a large frying pan, over medium-low heat, add the oil and the grated onions and fry them for about 3 minutes.

Add the diced peppers and keep sauteeing the onions and peppers for about 3 minutes more, stirring from time to time.

Add the diced eggplant flesh, salt, black pepper, bay leaves, and passata.

Cook the mixture on medium-low heat until thickened (about 40-45 minutes), stirring often and making sure the mixture doesn’t stick to the pan. You can simmer it longer if you prefer a thicker/denser spread. And you can simmer it less if you’re in a hurry (25-30 minutes of simmering time still produces a very delicious zacusca!).

Remove the bay leaves from the zacusca and taste and adjust the seasonings, adding any salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve the zacusca warm or cold, as you prefer. The flavor is usually enhanced once it’s been in the refrigerator overnight.