Fall is definitely in the air here in Zagreb.
Just like back home, it's the time of year when
people start preparing an autumn harvest for their winter pantries.
people start preparing an autumn harvest for their winter pantries.
Time to bring in the garden bounty
So excited!!
I was invited by my friend Nela, along with her daughter, Tamara
to spend a Saturday afternoon making Ajvar.
I was invited by my friend Nela, along with her daughter, Tamara
to spend a Saturday afternoon making Ajvar.
This is a very common, yet super special dish,
made for generations here.
Mainly served as a side dish with grilled meat.
Ajvar (eye-var) has a sweet, smoky flavor and is made primarily from roasted eggplant and red peppers. For this batch, we also added hot peppers, garlic, sunflower oil and salt.
Mainly served as a side dish with grilled meat.
Ajvar (eye-var) has a sweet, smoky flavor and is made primarily from roasted eggplant and red peppers. For this batch, we also added hot peppers, garlic, sunflower oil and salt.
 |
| The prep - peeling, seeding and grinding |
 |
| Simmering - adding garlic and salt to taste, stirring in hot oil in last half hour |
 |
| Canning - get air bubbles out and add more hot oil to top before sealing |
We made a huge batch. It is actually pretty easy to make and I was taught by the best. However there is a lot of prep work plus the simmering part is very time consuming. Nela has been making Ajvar since she was a girl. Therefore she has every part of the process down to a science.
___________________________________________
Here in Zagreb, it is typically served at most restaurants, when you order grilled meat, which is how I got hooked on it. Now the restaurant stuff is good (enough to get ya hooked)
but the homemade stuff is super good! People here (me too) like Ajvar with grilled vegetables, on eggs, bread, crackers, and as a dip for raw veggies. I read you can use it as a pasta or pizza sauce (though that I have never tried either ... Maybe next week:)
___________________________________________
Here in Zagreb, it is typically served at most restaurants, when you order grilled meat, which is how I got hooked on it. Now the restaurant stuff is good (enough to get ya hooked)
but the homemade stuff is super good! People here (me too) like Ajvar with grilled vegetables, on eggs, bread, crackers, and as a dip for raw veggies. I read you can use it as a pasta or pizza sauce (though that I have never tried either ... Maybe next week:)
 |
| Yummy breakfast of veggies egg cups, feta, and ajvar, (with hot black coffee:) |
Note: we made a very big batch;
so I wont share that amount
but basically the ratio is 5 to 1
that is 5 peppers to 1 eggplant.
everything else is more or less to taste!
Ingredients we used:
5 medium red roga peppers (about 2 pounds)
roga - large, red, horn-shaped, easy to peel and typically ripens in late September.
1 medium eggplant (about 3/4 pound)
Hot peppers to taste {Ajvar's smoky flavor, can be sweet (traditional), piquant (the most common), or very hot, by the amount or type of chili peppers you add.}
5 medium cloves freshly minced garlic (about 5 teaspoons)
salt to taste
1/4 cup sunflower oil, + more for the canning process
What we did:
- Heat oven to 475 degrees. Roast washed eggplants and peppers until their skins blister and turn black, (about 30 minutes). Once roasted, cool vegetables in a covered dish. This will help to remove skin from the flesh. (Nela did this the night before.)
- Remove skin and seeds from peppers and eggplant, by hand. Warning can get kinda messy (see photos)
- Grind the flesh into pulp - we used a mill, but you can use a food processor or what ever blender you have.
- "Pulp" is the eggplant, red peppers, and hot peppers
- In a large pot, over low heat, simmer pulp for a couple of hours. We took turns constantly stirring. (keeping the bottom from burning or sticking)
- Add garlic and salt to taste.
- In the last 1/2 hour add heated sunflower oil, one ladle at a time, it should crackle, stirring between each, (to reduce the water and help with preserving).
- Canning process: spoon mix into hot jars, removing all air bubbles, leave 1/2", pour in sunflower oil until covered. (You will discard this oil after opening jar) Screw on lid - tightly
- Keep jars upright and cover with blankets - we tucked ours in a basket. After all are added, tuck blanket in good and leave for about 48 hours (to completely seal).
dobar tek
_________________________
FYI: From what I read, traditionally -
Ajvar comes from Serbia, then spread throughout the Balkan region after WWII while the area was Yugoslavia. There are a few variations, Some omit the eggplant, some add vinegar, and some skip the simmering part, opting for a fresh faster side dish.
It is sometimes referred to as vegetarian caviar, or called a sauce, relish, dip or spread. I did an Internet search and found a few recipes. I also read you could freeze it.
It is sometimes referred to as vegetarian caviar, or called a sauce, relish, dip or spread. I did an Internet search and found a few recipes. I also read you could freeze it.
Interesting info: The name ajvar comes from the Turkish word havyar, which means "salted roe, caviar”. Prior to the 20th century, there was a significant local production of caviar (on the Danube, from sturgeon swimming from the Black Sea up to Belgrade). Domestic ajvar, "caviar", used to be a very popular dish in Belgrade homes and restaurants. However, in the 1890s because of labor disputes, the domestic production of caviar was not steady. Eventually a special pepper salad was offered as a substitute in Belgrade restaurants under the name "red ajvar" (crveni ajvar) or "Serbian ajvar" (srpski ajvar).
