Ever since moving to the US and trying foods from all over the world, I’ve realized how much international influence there is over traditional Russian fare. There are so many parallels I make now that I know a bit more about different cuisines. Numerous variations of pelmeni, for example, exist in Asia (such as gyoza and potstickers) and Italians have their own versions of pelmeni, very well known as ravioli and tortellini. While my mom’s perzzi and sinii were one of the very first things that I wanted to learn how to make, I actually hesitated blogging about them because I realized that you’ve probably all had them before. You most likely just categorized them as Greek or maybe just… universal.
So yes, these are hardly “dishes” and aren’t particularly original, but both the roasted red peppers and sinii (translated as “blue” because eggplants are… purple?? yeah, go figure) are seriously requested at every family gathering by both me and my sister. So easy or not, I just had to share them! We used to eat both often as kids, and now that we’re older whenever my sister is in town, my mom makes sure to make a batch or two. And we are always very thankful. Don’t forget some fresh bread to soak up all the yummy juices! 
PERZZI (peppers)
Ingredients:
- Sweet bell peppers
- Citric acid (if you can’t find it, lemon juice is a fine substitute)
- Garlic
- Sugar (just a pinch)
- Olive oil (approximately 1 tablespoon per pepper – don’t worry, the peppers don’t absorb all of it!)
SINII (eggplant salad)
- 1 eggplant
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Garlic (to taste)
- 2 tomatoes (optional)
Grill the veggies until charred. I used our outdoor grill but if you don’t have one (or if it’s too cold to grill), you can just broil them. The point is to really char them (be careful of setting off the smoke detector if you’re doing it indoors…not that I know anything about that first hand 
)
Let’s talk peppers first. Put them in a large bowl (this one was too small… give them room) and cover with a lid or a large plate (hey, it works!).
Many roasted red pepper recipes say to place the peppers in a plastic bag but I just don’t like the idea of my food being in contact with heating plastic. So yeah, I recommend using a bowl. It’s more eco friendly too. Win-win
After 15 minutes, the pepper skins should come off really easily. Discard the skins (reserve the liquid), you’ll have gorgeous naked peppers. How scandalous! 
Haha, I crack myself up.
Chop ‘em
Put them back in the juices they released while sweating under the lid. Add some citric acid, crushed garlic, olive oil, a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper – all to taste. I added about 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid, 1 large garlic clove and 2 tablespoons of EVOO for 2 large peppers. That was pretty garlicky (I love garlic) so start with less garlic if you’re sensitive and build up from there.
Refrigerate for a few hours. These peppers will slightly marinade and become sweet and a little sour. The grilled sweet pepper flesh is nicely balanced by the acidity of the citric acid (or lemon juice if that’s what you used). I love them!!
Back to those eggplants….
They take a bit longer than peppers to brown and mine kind of exploded over the grill. At least I knew they were definitely ready.
Mmm, look at that eggplant “meat” spilling out. I think it wants me to eat it.
Scoop out the eggplant flesh and mash it with a fork. My mom uses a food processor for that but I like the texture of hand “beaten” eggplant. Add some salt, pepper, crushed garlic and olive oil. Sometimes I even add a bit of lemon juice but I think that’s more Greek than Russian.
So that’s your “basic” sinii. We like turning them red with some crushed tomatoes. If you want to do the same, chop them in the food processor for a few seconds, then mix them into the eggplant mixture.
Voila!
Sinii…
Krasnie (red)..
I served these to my husband and our American friends and all the eggplant haters still enjoyed the ones with the tomatoes. The tomatoes really change the taste of the dish – they hide that eggplanty quality. My family eats both of these dishes as sides or as appetizers when served over large hunks of bread. When I made these, I served the eggplant salads as dips with homemade pita chips to my friends and while not traditional, it worked quite well.
This recipe has been submitted to Foodista.
EggplanSo there you have it.
If there is a Russian recipe you’ve heard of and want me to make it, please let me know. I already put a few on my list based on your previous comments.
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I’ve had both those things before!!! They are great, though usually it’s served to me ice-cold very garlicky. It’s a tasty veggie way to put flavor on bread (or in my case, with potatoes).
Wow looks yummy !!!
I love reading the new recipes you have been posting and I can’t wait to start making them myself- especially the oladushki ( i was going to make them this morning but didn’t get a chance. Have you ever tried to substitute kefir for the heavy whipping cream? it would probably compromise taste though i don’t know how much…) , zharenaya kartoshka, and the sinii and pertsi- all some of my absolute favs! I also have this cookbook my grandmother brought over with her from Odessa called Domashnaya Kyxna- its from the 1950s I think and includes things like how you would store meat if you don’t have a fridge! Anyways…its all in Russian so it takes me forever to read through a page so your blog is a huge help!! Just throwing some ideas out there….I would love recipes for kotleti, goluptsi, borsht, betki (spelling?), or zhirkoya!
B.B. – Haha, storing meat without a fridge. This book sounds hardcore old school. I’ll add those suggestions to the list as well. Glad you’re enjoying the blog and I’ll try to tackle one of them soon
Two delicious great recipes in one post
Home-roasted peppers are so much better than the bottled kind… and I can only imagine how delicious the sinii is. I don’t know much about Russian dishes, but keep the ones you know coming!
hehe, scandalous naked peppers and exploding eggplant…
lol, anyways, these look like stellar dips, as i’m always one to go for roasted peppers and eggplant!!
Heheee, sinenkie
but why is eggplant is called EGGplant after all? Anyway, eggplant+garlic is always wonderful. I should buy some tomorrow! I also like to fry them, sliced, and serve with garlic and sour cream dip. Yum!
Check out this post – they really do look like eggs!
http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/new/Sorting/CATALOGUE/Pt3-European-eggplants.html
Perzzi & sinii huh & your so right….. we know these good old fave’s by other names (& I thought other cultures (Italian) like you said. So interesting. Thanks for sharing.
These dips are fantastic.I came across your site from the foodieblogroll and I love the different recipes you have posted here. I’d love to guide Foodista readers to your site. I hope you could add this Eggplant widget at the end of this post so we could add you in our list of food bloggers who blogged about eggplant recipes,Thanks!
I added the widget. Thanks for letting me know about it
I added the widget but didn’t see my post show up. Am I missing anything?
Do you eat the sinii cold?
Yes, cold or room temperature.
This looks delicious! I think I don’t associate Russian food with such light fare, but I am happy to be learning through this blog!
The world of Russian cuisine is completely foreign to me, so I’m happy I stumbled across your blog–and found something that looks SO delicious! Yum!
My mother used to make a similar salad but combined the roasted peppers and roasted eggplant “meat” and added chopped tomatoes and finely diced onions; chopped parsley w/ alittle olive oil and lemon juice-I am looking for a recipe that resembles hers. Also she made a soup with dumplings (klotski) made from semiolina
Sounds like a cool hybrid of the two recipes I posted
[...] the play on pan de recapte con anchoa, I actually started with my mom’s recipes for perzzi (roasted peppers) and sinii (eggplant/tomato spread) and layered them over fresh slices of [...]