Ajvar.
The red pepper paste that punctuates Balkan summers. Recipe and what to do with it
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In September, the air in the Balkans — countries like Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, and Macedonia —fills with smoke.
This is Ajvar season. Ajvar (pronounced eye-var) being a red pepper and eggplant paste that in these parts, is an obsession. And Ajvar starts with a smoky grill.
Red bell peppers and eggplants are grilled outdoors, minced, then simmered over an open fire, before being jarred. Much like Italians with their tomato sauce, Ajvar is an old preservation technique that keeps Balkanites in summery peppery glory all winter long.
In the last 3 years, I’ve spent around 9 months in the Balkans and whenever I’m there, I eat jar after jar after jar of the stuff. And with Porto’s markets and fruitarias filling up with peppers and eggplants, I thought it high time I make my own.
I’m making the Croatian version which includes garlic because, well, I like garlic. If you don’t, the Serbian version doesn’t include any, so feel free to omit.
This is not a quick dish. Preserving never is. And I don’t want to sound like a cliched recipe writer when I say “it’s worth the effort,” even though it is.
Instead, look at it like this. If you’re still grilling outdoors during the late part of this summer, the eggplants and peppers can roast at the same time as… whatever else you’re grilling. If you mince with a food processor, that part takes maybe 30 seconds. The only laborious part is the simmering which takes around 20-30 minutes of your time.
It took me some time to figure out some recipes to make with Ajvar — this is traditionally a side dish, one to be smeared on bread or Cevapi, the famous Balkan sausage.
But with some testing, I eventually settled on a dish that is absolutely going into my permanent rotation.
Whipped feta and Ajvar with roast potatoes and souvlaki skewers.
Variations and adaptations, as always, are listed below.
If this looks right up your street but you don’t want to faff about with making your own Ajvar, it’s becoming easier to find on supermarket shelves these days. In the US, Trader Joe’s sells one (they call it red pepper spread but it’s essentially the same stuff). In the UK, Waitrose has a decent version.
The key to Ajvar is to take out as much moisture from the roasted peppers and eggplants as possible. Many recipes call for straining them overnight but I found even just an hour or two made a lot of difference.
If you don’t own a food processor, you can either finely chop the vegetables by hand or use a pestle and mortar.
In the Balkans, you’ll see Ajvar labeled as mild (blagi) or hot (ljuti). The heat comes from adding chili flakes at the simmering stage. I made a mild version here but feel free to include chilli flakes in yours.
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Ajvar
Makes two 1lb / 500g jars