A couple of nights ago I made a sixteen liter pot of matbucha, and it was only the next day that I realized what a perfect idea it was for Pesach!
I decided to make a large batch after seeing that the six kilos of matbucha we made for the first two days of the holiday were completely finished.
This is a wonderfully versatile dish. Having prepared it at night, it was ready first thing the next day when everyone was ready for breakfast, and we were able to quickly prepare shakshuka. (Shakshuka – heat a good amount of matbucha/tomato sauce in a frying pan, and when it’s hot, make several indentations in the sauce, dropping an egg into each indentation. Let them poach just a few minutes until set, and then serve.)
Matbucha can also be used as a dip, or as a sauce for meat, chicken or fish. My oldest son arrived with his family in time to overlap with my two married sons who were here for the first days, so we had a nice crowd for dinner. I served matbucha for a dinner accompaniment. (Dinner was fennel salad, tomato salad, marinated carrots and kohlrabi, matbucha, onion pie, sweet potatoes and potatoes, and meat.)
I don’t have an exact recipe, but I always use the same vegetables. You can adjust for more or less of all of the vegetables and it will come out great!
I started with ten huge onions, and chopped and sauteed them all in oil. Then I minced about fifteen cloves of garlic and added them to the pot. I added eight green peppers, chopped. Once they were all sauteed, I added the chopped tomatoes – I used two cases of tomatoes. (I had a lot and wanted to use them while they were in perfect condition.) That simmered on the stove for a couple of hours before I added some tomato paste to thicken it. Finally, I added salt and pepper, and it was done. (Usually I add more spices but this was excellent as it was.)
Since this is so versatile, I’ll be able to use it during the coming week for various meals. It defrosts well, so I froze several containers of it in addition to what I refrigerated for more immediate use.
Avivah
This looks like a great and easy recipe, I’d love to try it! I made a very similar one but doesn’t use tomatoes- just sauted onions and red peppers, and some tomato paste at the end. I think I would like to try your version. Having it for shakshuka is a good idea
I usually prepare a matbucha dish when our tomatoes, and peppers are on their way out. Vegies especially tomatoes and peppers are pricey and I wouldn’t cook with them. Maybe that’s the way I was raised. I gotta look into this reason. But I love homemade matbucha.