A staple of Balkan cuisine, ajvar (pronounced eye-var) is a delicious rich red pepper spread that's perfect with fresh rustic bread, pasta, crackers, baked potatoes, etc. And best of all... it's naturally vegan!
Autumn is traditionally the time of year to make ajvar, and it's a great way of using up surplus peppers, plus ensuring a plentiful supply of Vitamin C throughout the winter (each 25g serving provides 43% of our daily VitC needs).
Some purists claim that ajvar should only be made with peppers - that Slovenians adulterate it with aubergine (eggplant), and that it's actually closer to pindjur (a Bulgarian/Macedonian relish made with tomatoes, peppers, aubergine, garlic, and chilli). That may well be true but I happen to really like it with aubergine; I find it gives the ajvar an added of layer silky, smooth, creaminess, so for now, the aubergine stays!
Living the life of a wanderer, as I do, I come across this kind of attitude all the time; that such-and-such a recipe is not the 'one true' recipe, or that a certain nation cannot possibly make this dish or that dish as well as a certain other nation. Some particular individuals become quite vehement when sharing their opinion of what makes a dish 'proper' (just mention that you ate burek in Croatia or Slovenia to a Serb, and they'll often tell you in no uncertain terms that it's a Serbian pie... despite it actually being brought to the Balkans by the Ottomans).
But really, none of that matters - dishes travel, and over time, they evolve to suit local tastes and available ingredients. In general, Indian food in Britain, for example, is really not much like Indian food in India; it has evolved to become its own thing, and British Indian curries are loved the world over. There's a British guy living in Chiang Mai (Thailand), who has built up a decently-sized business, selling pre-made BIR (British Indian Restaurant) curries to the expat community. There's another in Germany, who's done the same, and exports his curries right across Europe, as well as having a local bricks-and-mortar shop.
My point is that if the food is good, does it really matter whether it's 100% 'authentic' or not? I don't think so.
Making Ajvar
The key to a rich, creamy ajvar is to make sure that the peppers are roasted until their skins blacken, and then, after the veggies have been peeled and smooshed, simmer the spread over a very low heat. Some people swear by simmering overnight but I think a couple of hours is fine. Do be aware that you may need a diffuser if cooking on gas, otherwise your ajvar might catch.
Ajvar (Serbian Red Pepper Spread)
Is...
- creamy
- satisfying
- tangy
- rich and silky
- full of goodness
- versatile
- super-delicious
Keep a jar in your 'fridge as a standby for those times you really can't be bothered to cook (c'mon, it happens to all of us!); chuck a potato (sweet, or otherwise) in the oven to bake, and then when it's done, slather over some ajvar, serve with a crisp green salad, and boom - you're good to go!
Or cook up some pasta, and use ajvar as a quick and convenient sauce.
Or simply have it with some crackers, or fresh crusty bread, some tomatoes, olives, and your protein of choice, for a super-speedy, nutritious lunch.
Ajvar really is pretty versatile!
How would you eat your ajvar?
📖 Recipe
Ajvar (Serbian Red Pepper Spread)
Ingredients
- 1 large aubergine/eggplant - washed dried, and cut in half lengthways
- 3 large red peppers - washed dried, cut in half lengthways, and de-seeded
- 3 -4 large fat cloves of garlic
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + 1 teaspoon + a drizzle
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
Optional:
- 1 chilli very finely chopped (remove the seeds and veins if you don't want too much heat)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 225c/435f.
- Massage 1 teaspoon of oil over the peppers, aubergine, and unpeeled garlic cloves, and place cut side down onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Bake for around 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft, and the pepper skins are blackened.
- Remove from the oven, and put the peppers into a Ziploc bag for 10 minutes.
- Very carefully, scrape the aubergine flesh away from the skin (please don't burn yourself), and place into the bowl of a food processor.
- Remove the peppers from their bag, and peel away the skins. Add to the aubergines, and pulse a few times, just enough to break up the veggies.
- Put the oil into a heavy-based pan, add the ajvar, and stir. Allow to just sit in the pan for 15 minutes, so that the ajvar absorbs the oil.
- Turn on the heat, and bring the ajvar to a boil, then immediately, lower the heat, and allow to simmer for a couple of hours, to really bring out the sweetness of the peppers.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic from its paper, and smoosh it into the ajvar, along with the vinegar, and chilli (if using).
- Taste, and season with salt.
- Put into a sterile jar, drizzle with a little more oil, and seal.
- Once opened, the ajvar should keep in the fridge for several weeks... if, indeed, it's around that long.
Notes
- 1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
- 1 fl oz = US = 30 ml
pebble soup
This sounds so good, I have bookmarked it to make it one day. have you heard of the INheritance Recipes, we would love to have you there , our round up relays to over 10K this month is hosted by coffee and vanilla Hope to see you there
Nico
Oh cool, thanks for letting me know PS - I'll check it out.
Do let me know how you get on with the ajvar! xx
nadia
Oh wow! I love adding red pesto to pasta dishes, but I imagine this would taste so much better! Anything aubergine and pepper is a winner in my book!
Nico
I love pesto too, Nadia - especially when I'm really busy... it's such a quick and easy way to make a meal, isn't it? Ajvar is also a great addition to pasta, so much so, that it may actually be my favourite. At least at the moment! 🙂
Corina
This sounds absolutely gorgeous! The roasting and then simmering must give it a real depth of flavour. I bet it would be gorgeous on toast or even on a pizza instead of the more traditional tomato sauce. I am quite happy to eat dishes that have been adapted or evolved into something new as they travel and I always thing it's a real shame when people insist a dish has to be made in a certain way or it's not that dish. Thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Nico
It really does, Corina. The first time I made ajvar, I didn't simmer it - just blitzed it - and although it was good, it tasted sort of... light. After that, I always simmered it! The real secret though, which I learned when I was living in Serbia, is to let it just sit in the oil before simmering. It really does make a difference.
I've actually never thought to have it on toast but y'know, you're right, it would be lovely. I shall have to rectify my lack of toasty ajvar! And yes, it does make a really good pizza sauce too.
I totally get that if you're making an authentic dish then of course you want it to be as true to the accepted norm as possible but to discount anything that's been adapted or has evolved is to seriously limit yourself, IMO. When I was living in Kerala, I came across a guy in a restaurant who loudly declared to his dining companion;
"This isn't real Indian food - it's nothing like what I have in the Balti King... and I should know because I go there every weekend, and have had everything on the menu"!
On the other hand, in the same restaurant, another time, a couple of elderly American women came in, ordered a shedload of food, and were like dogs with four lamp posts! I honestly don't know how they managed to eat so much but they did, and ordered dessert! Afterward, one of them took the owner's hand in hers, and told her that it was the best food she'd ever had, and that she was so glad that she'd made the trip to India so she could try real Indian food at least once in her life!
I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to discover how certain dishes are made around the world. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't but they're always interesting, and the experience is always worth it. Most recently, I had phad Thai made by a Filipina in Belgrade; it was absolutely nothing like phad Thai I ever had in Thailand, or anywhere else in SE Asia, but it was still really delicious. It was made with local ingredients and flavours, and even the noodles weren't 'right' but none of that mattered - it was just very cool to be able to eat Thai-influenced food in Serbia!
Food should be a source of enjoyment, IMO, not a vehicle for one-upmanship!
Sus // roughmeasures.com
This looks ever so tasty - I made something similar recently! I like the addition of Aubergine too!
Nico
Aubergine makes everything great, Sus! (Almost.) >.<
Aaron Espana
I love the ajvar ! I like a Russian version that, yes, is almost entirely peppers, garlic, and oil. Never made my own, but enjoy the Zergutt brand as well as another Rusky brand I can't recall.
You recipe sounds much more like Imam Bayildi - an eggplant, pepper, and tomato stewed topping/accompaniment that's so delicious it apparently made an Imam fall out of his chair the first time he tried it.
Either of them are great on just about anything, though Imam B is much more filling. My favorite is with eggs and pita and olives for breakfast, though I suspect you may not do eggs.
Anyway, I enjoy that recipes vary by region/country depending where in Eastern Europe or how close to the Middle East you get. They've got that great stewy-spicy kick that food needs to liven things up.
Nico
That's really interesting, Aaron - I had no idea about the Imam Bayildi... what a great story!
You're right, I don't do eggs but I'm completely with you on the olives and pitta!
And I agree with what you say about the closer you get to the ME... plus there's also the fact that the Ottoman Empire was so darned large, it's really not surprising that there's a culinary crossover. In fact, at our local market in Belgrade, in addition to noms, there were stalls selling 'traditional Serbian' clothing, which was almost the same as the traditional garb I saw when I was in Turkey. I thought it best not to mention this to any locals though!