• Rinse the eggplants. Heat your grill pan. Grill the eggplants on each side, turning them over every 10 minutes or so, until they are covered with a black, charred crust.
• Peel the eggplants, cleaning off the black crust. Put them on a wooden platter and let them drain for at least half an hour. The liquid that runs off is bitter, so the longer you drain them, the sweeter they will be.
• Mash the eggplant pulp with a blunt, thick wooden knife or a ceramic one, on a wooden platter. This is the secret to a delicious eggplant spread: do not use a metal knife, as it will turn the eggplants black and make them bitter.
• Grill the red bell peppers just as you grilled the eggplants. When done, set them aside to cool a bit, then peel them and remove the seeds.

Attention: Don’t use water when peeling the veggies! They will lose their taste.

• Heat the oil in a large pot. Dice the onion and saute it for 8 minutes. Add the salt right from the beginning so it won't burn, helping the onion become tender instead.
• Put the red bell peppers in your food processor and mash them, then add them to the pot. Add the ground black pepper, bay leaves, tomato juice and mashed eggplants. Let everything simmer for about one hour over low heat, checking every 15 minutes so it won't stick. Add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar if you want it sweeter.
• When ready, pour the resulting paste into sterilized jars set on a metal oven tray. Cover them with their lids and place in the oven preheated to 212F for another hour. When done, turn off the oven and leave the jars inside to cool down slowly.