Calabrese Explosion- it's hot, it's spicy and it's truly amazing!

Preserving the Italian Way is an interesting book- full of great ideas for preserving some of my favourite ingredients: eggplant, tomatoes, squash, hot peppers...  For years, I have been meaning to try out this recipe and finally I have.  Well, I started with their recipe but have made it my own and can't wait to try it!  on bruschetta, on cheese, added to a sauce for heat...

This is a multi-step recipe, spread over a few days.

My jars of spicy deliciousness!

This recipe made six 500ml jars.
Ingredients:
4 large        eggplant
4 small       zucchini
5                red peppers
20              sun dried tomatoes
40              green olives, pitted
2 lbs          green tomatoes
20              fresh, hot chillies (pick out a mix of habanero, jalapeño, Thai...)
8 cloves     garlic
500 gr       sea salt
750 ml      white wine vinegar
1/4 cup     dried oregano
                 approx. 750 ml of good quality olive oil


Directions:
Day one:  Thinly slice the eggplant, 4 cloves of garlic, zucchini, red peppers, green tomatoes and hot peppers.  The KitchenAid is perfect for this job.  Place vegetables in a large, food-grade plastic container or a large crock.  Add the sea salt and mix it throughout the vegetables.  Place a plate over the mixture, then place a heavy weight on the top.

Day two: Drain the mixture and return to the container.  Add the white wine vinegar and allow to stand for 30 minutes.  Replace the weight on the top.

Day three: Drain the mixture and replace it in the container.  Add more chopped garlic, oregano, sun dried tomatoes and the olives along with 1/2 cup of olive oil.  Pass the mixture through a meat grinder.  If you decide to use a food processor instead, be careful not to process too long.  The mixture should be textured/coarse and not pasty...

Add a little olive oil to the bottom of the prepared canning jars and fill with the mixture.  Top up with more olive oil, making sure the mixture is completely covered.  Check after a few days and top up with olive oil if needed.