Real Balkan Homemade Ajvar Recipe

Real Balkan Homemade Ajvar Recipe

from tasteofartisan.com
960 min
4 servings

Yield: approximately one pint or two cups

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lbs red sweet bullhorn peppers (e.g. ajvarski peppers; or use red bell peppers)
  • 1/2 lbs eggplant
  • 5 Tbsp sunflower oil
  • 2 tsp white vinegar (you can also use wine vinegar if you like the taste)
  • salt to taste
  • several hot chili peppers (optional; add for a spicy version of ajvar)

Directions

  1. 1

    Wash and dry the peppers and eggplant, then grill them over low heat, or broil in the oven, until they blacken and soften around the stem. 

  2. 2

    Place the roasted peppers and eggplant on a tray/baking pan and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Keep them in a warm place for about an hour to let the peppers and eggplant steam. This will make them peel more easily.

  3. 3

    Transfer the roasted vegetables to a colander fitted over a bowl or to a strainer basket inside a seafood boil pot, cover, and let them drain overnight.

  4. 4

    The next day, peel the peppers and eggplant and remove the seeds and stems.

  5. 5

    Grind through a medium plate or cut the cleaned and drained peppers and eggplant into small pieces and place them in a shallow, wide cooking pot oiled with some sunflower oil. Pour the rest of the oil over the vegetables, stir, and let them sit for twenty minutes to absorb some of the oil.

  6. 6

    Start heating the vegetable over medium heat, and when it starts to boil, reduce the temperature just enough to allow the ajvar to simmer, stirring constantly, so it doesn't burn. This can take up to an hour or even longer depending on how well the vegetables are drained. Making a large batch can take up to 3 hours or even longer. The ajvar is ready when all the excess liquid evaporates, and the mass becomes thick and uniform, as shown in the pictures in the post above.

  7. 7

    Toward the end of cooking, add vinegar and salt to taste.

  8. 8

    Transfer ajvar into a clean, airtight container, let it cool down, and refrigerate for up to a month.

  9. 9

    For long-term storage, fill clean (they don't have to be sterilized) pint or half-pint jars with hot ajvar leaving 1-inch head space. Remove any visible air pockets. Wipe the rims and close with the lids finger-tight. Process the jars in a pressure canner according to the tables in the notes section, letting the pressure canner depressurize on its own.

  10. 10

    Store the cooled jars in a dark and cool place and refrigerate after opening. Properly canned ajvar will keep for a year and even longer.