Ajvar paste, is a sauce that can be consumed for breakfast or as an appetizer. You can make this sauce when eggplants and tomatoes are fresh and in season and save in jars for winter the winter months.
Ajvar paste makes a delicious dip and colorful canapés. Besides you can use it when making pizza, it is also a delicious pasta sauce.
The tip for making a winter stock of this paste is after it starts to boil, put it in jars and close it by tightly closing the lids and let sit upside down until they cool. A safer method is after closing the jars place them in a pressure cooker and cover with water and cook for 3-5 minutes after the boiling point.A
Pepper and Eggplant Paste from the Balkans / Ajvar
Spicy, versatile sauce from Balkans.
Servings 1 serving dish
Calories 62kcal
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants medium size
- 2 large red peppers
- 3 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 tablespoons vinegar grape or apple
Instructions
Eggplants and Red Peppers
- Wash the eggplants and the peppers. Make little pricks all around with a tooth pick.
- Roast in a pre-heated oven at 230° Celsius. Until almost burnt on all sides.
- Put the peppers in a glass container with a lid, if not available in a plastic food bag. Keep until they cool. This will make peeling easier.
- Meanwhile cut the eggplants vertically in the middle. Scoop up the contents with a spoon. Discard seeds if too black, keep others.
- Place all the peeled peppers and the eggplants in a wire colander. Press with your palm or with the back of a wooden spoon to get rid of the excess water in the vegetables.
Sauce
- Chop well the onions. Add the olive oil in a pot together with the onions and cook stiring once in a while until the onions are translucent.
- Add the churshed garlic cloves, saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Meanwhile grate the tomatoes and add to the onions. Cook until the tomatoes are almost mashed and the water of the tomatoes evaporates.
- Now combine the tomato sauce and the vegetables. Use a food processor to turn the mixture into a paste.
- Then put the paste again to the pot to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add the vinegar and all the spices to taste. Close the heat, set aside to cool.
- Keeps in the fridge in a glass jar for a weeks. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil to protect.