Any housewife can prepare ajvar using a Serbian recipe for the winter. This is a dish belonging to Balkan cuisine. Ajvar is a sauce that can be used as an addition to main dishes, as a gravy, and also as a spread for sandwiches. In Serbia and Croatia, this sauce is considered a national dish, however, there is no canonical recipe. Each family cooks the sauce according to its own recipe. You can change the thickness of the sauce to taste.
Nuances of preparation
Ajvar sauce can be prepared according to different recipes, depending on taste preferences. The classic dish contains red pepper, chili, garlic, but you can add tomatoes or eggplant.
According to the traditional recipe, peppers are baked until a black crust appears on their surface - this is important. After the peppers are removed from the oven, they need to be allowed to cool. Only if you follow this rule will ajvar turn out to be truly tasty.
Selection and preparation of main ingredients
To prepare this classic dish you will need the following ingredients:
- pepper of any color, but red is better - 3 kg;
- garlic – 10 cloves;
- two onions;
- chili - 1 piece;
- sunflower oil – 250 ml;
- apple cider vinegar – 100 ml;
- salt - optional;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. l.
The products must be fresh, but if there are spoiled places on the pepper, they can be easily cut off before baking in the oven.
How to choose the right one
Particular attention is paid to vegetable oil. You can use oil to taste: sunflower, olive, sesame, walnut oil, corn. The traditional recipe specifies sunflower or olive. Depending on what kind of oil is used, the taste of the dish may change and acquire unusual notes.
There are no special requirements for the selection of products. The main thing is that the peppers, tomatoes and eggplants are fresh and free of mold.
How to prepare ajvar for the winter
The process of preparing ajvar is quite simple and any housewife can handle it. The main stage is preparing the peppers. They are baked in the oven and then cooled before grinding and mixing with other ingredients.
To make ajvar even tastier, you can use a grill for baking.The finished dish is packaged in jars and stored in the refrigerator.
Classic Serbian ajvar recipe
Cooking process:
- The peppers need to be washed, placed on a baking sheet and baked at 200 degrees until the surface darkens. Then the peppers are transferred to a bag and steamed so that the skin can be removed. The seeds are also removed.
- Cut the onion into small rings and sauté in vegetable oil until golden brown.
- All ingredients: peppers, onions, garlic, mince. Then the mass needs to be transferred to a cauldron. Add butter, salt, sugar.
- Cook the sauce until it boils and taste. If necessary, add lemon juice and salt and boil the mixture for another 10 minutes.
The hot sauce is poured into pre-sterilized jars. Then they are covered with lids and kept under a blanket until completely cooled.
Option with tomatoes
To prepare ajvar with tomatoes you will need the following ingredients:
- sweet pepper – 1 kg;
- garlic – 1 head;
- tomatoes – 500 gr.;
- onions – 2 pcs.;
- bite 9% – 20 ml;
- sunflower oil – 55 ml;
- salt - to taste;
- sugar – 95 g.
Preparation is practically no different from the traditional method:
- Wash the peppers and bake in the oven or on the grill until a black crust appears.
- Place the peppers in a bag for half an hour and then peel them. You also need to cut off the stalk and remove the seeds.
- Peeled peppers, tomato pulp, garlic, and onions are passed through a meat grinder. The entire mixture must be placed in a saucepan and put on fire. You can add chili for spiciness.
- During the boiling process, salt, sugar and vinegar are added. The mixture needs to be boiled for 5 minutes and then poured into jars.
After the ajvar is prepared, it is poured into jars and closed with regular lids.Then you need to cool them and put them in the refrigerator.
Recipe with eggplants
To give the sauce an unusual and rich taste, you can use eggplant. For this dish you will need the following ingredients:
- sweet pepper, red – 2 kg;
- eggplants – 1 kg;
- two onions;
- chili - 1 piece;
- garlic – 5 cloves;
- sugar – 1 teaspoon;
- salt - optional;
- sunflower oil – 200 ml;
- apple cider vinegar – 4 tbsp. spoons.
Cooking process:
- Bake peppers and eggplants in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes. Dark scorch marks should appear.
- Remove skins and stems from vegetables. The core of the pepper is removed.
- For moderate spiciness, add 1 chili.
- Pass the whole mass through a meat grinder, fry the onion and garlic in a frying pan.
- The mixture is placed in a cauldron. You need to assure her so that all the liquid comes out. Properly prepared ajvar has a thick consistency.
The preparation must be poured into jars and cooled.
Storage rules
Ready ajvar is sealed in jars and stored in a cool, dark place for several months. Can be stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. After opening the jar, the sauce must be consumed within 3-4 days.
The advantage of ajvar is that it is a completely versatile dish that can be used as a sauce, a delicious gravy for meat or a spread for bread.
