Ajvar - The best recipe ever! - Fino Fine Foods (2024)

Smokey, deep and rich in flavor, the world-famous Balkan roasted red pepper and eggplant relish – Ajvar. It is made from red peppers which are first roasted, then peeled cored and roasted again in oil. It takes really hard work and patience to make Ajvar, but it all pays off in the end. You can eat it cold or warm, as a side dish with grilled meat or just on bread or as an ingredient in marinades.

Even if you know nothing about Balkan cuisine, you may have come across or heard someone mention,ajvar (pronounced “AY-vahr”).

It is best to look for peppers for ajvar at the farmer’s market, and if you can’t find them there, just go for the regular bell pepper, but be careful because they must be only red peppers and no other kind.

Some recipes include ingredients other than red peppers, such as garlic and chilies, but this recipe doesn’t include them.

And while ajvar can, and often does have sweet undertones, it more closely falls under the relish or spread category.

A relish is defined as a condiment made by cooking, pickling, or chopping a fruit or a vegetable.However, this definition is too simplified for ajvar.

Ajvar can be used in other dishes to enhance the flavor, but it can also be used on its own.

It’smost flavorful, most rich when spread in a thick layer on a piece of homemade bread.You can’t do the same with sauces or salsas.

Because the process of making ajvar is exhausting and takes a lot of time and energy, you can always buy one.

Ingredients

• AJVAR:
• 23-25 pounds red bull’s horn peppers (or bell peppers)
• 8-9 pounds eggplants (medium to large)
• 4 cups vegetable oil (about 1-liter bottle)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• JARRING:
• 2-3 cups vegetable oil
• EQUIPMENT:
• A few pairs of latex gloves (optional)
• A grinder
• A large pot
• Several jars with lids

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 480F, or if you are using a wood stove, heat it up high.
2. Thoroughly wash, then pat dry whole eggplants and horn peppers. If you are using a wood stove, place foil on top of it and roast the peppers first. If using a regular stove, use both racks. If you only have one rack then use the rack (place it in the middle) and bottom of the oven. Take a baking sheet, cover it with foil and place as many peppers as you can, minding they have a little bit of space between them. If working with two racks repeat the process for the second. If working with the bottom of the oven, cover it with foil to protect it, and also place as many peppers as you can, minding they have a little bit of space between them. You will most likely have to do this in two to three batches for the peppers.
3. Roast peppers for about 30-35 minutes (check once or twice), then turn them over if they’re done on the bottom end. They should have little black patches here and there, and the skin will be coming up. They’ll also be soft and will exert some of their fluid. For the next 20 minutes frequently check the peppers, and turn them to the side if necessary to make sure they’re roasted on all sides. At about 50-55 minutes of roasting, they should be roasted completely. Don’t be overly concerned with time, instead, watch that pepper are completely roasted, but not burned. It’s possible that one rack will be done, while the other still needs a little bit of time. So the timing here is only an indication. All depends on your oven and peppers.
4. Take the roasted peppers out. Place them in a couple of different bowls, and cover bowls with plastic bags, making sure to seal really well. Leave to cool overnight.
5. If necessary, replace the foil on the baking sheets and in the oven. Place the second batch of peppers in the oven and repeat steps 3 and 4. Do the same for all batches of peppers.
6. At this point roast eggplants the same way as peppers. They may need a little bit less time, but it’ll depend on your oven. When done the eggplant will also “raise” its skin, and will also have a few black patches. They’ll be soft and moist. After you’re done, place them in in bowls and cover tightly with plastic bags. Leave to cool overnight. (This is a good stopping point. You are welcome to peel the same day, you can even cook ajvar the same day. But it’ll tire you. Also, it’s good to give the veggies some time to cool off. It’ll be easier to peel them, and you’ll protect your hands from burns.)
7. The following day, start peeling eggplants and peppers. This part is messy, so protect your working area, whether it’s the floor or the table or the counter. Prepare a large bowl with water, and one to two large bowls in which you’ll place peeled peppers and eggplants. Also, prepare a few plastic bags you’ll use for trash. (If ever, this is the time to get your family involved. Peeling is a long and tedious process.) Put on your gloves. Start peeling peppers by removing the stem and discarding it. Then flatten out the pepper so you can see its insides, and use a knife to scrape off all seeds (then discard them), making sure you’re not scraping off pepper meat. The next step is to peel off all of the skin, and black dots that formed while roasting. This is a tricky part as you may lose some of the pepper meat, and even some of the peppers, as they might be of a bad quality and too thin to peel. You can use your fingers to peel them, or a knife. You’ll find you have a preferred way of doing it. Once a pepper is peeled, if it’s necessary, dip it in water to remove the final few seeds and quickly transfer to the big dry bowl. Although it’s easier to dip the pepper in water first and get rid of all seeds that way, don’t do it. You want to keep as much of the pepper’s own moisture, fluid, and juices for ajvar, so keep the contact with water to a minimum. Repeat this process until all peppers are peeled.
8. Move on to peeling eggplants by cutting off eggplant stem and discarding it. Then use a knife to take off its skin and black dots that formed while in the oven, while keeping as much meat and seeds in tact as possible. You will be using seeds from the eggplant, so no need to remove them. After peeling, transfer to a dry bowl that’s separate from peppers.
9. The next step is to either cut or grind down eggplants and peppers. Keep them separate. Start with the eggplant first. If you choose to cut them down, ajvar will be tastier and chunkier. But will take a long time. If you opt for this, cut the vegetables (separately, and eggplant first) into stripes first, and then dice into smallest possible pieces, while keeping the juices. If you use the grinder, grind each vegetable down into a separate pan, again keeping the juices.
10. Take a large pot that will fit in all ingredients and still have a few empty inches on top. Fill it with oil the thickness of one finger. Warm up the oil until really hot on high, and add grinded eggplant. Stir eggplant in really well, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir frequently.
11. Bring down the temperature to medium to medium high and add grinded peppers in. Ajvar will be cooking for the next four and a half to five hours. The ingredients will essentially be boiling most of the time, and the air bubbles will be coming out. It’s imperative to continue stirring ajvar throughout the entire cooking time, every few minutes to prevent burning. You will also be adding about 4 cups of oil to the pan throughout the cooking process. Stirring is a tedious process, but if you skip it, your entire effort will be wasted. Basically, as you are stirring ajvar, you are making sure it’s not burning, and you’re adding some oil at regular intervals while stirring.
12. After four hours of cooking, add in sugar and continue stirring.
13. At the very end of cooking, after about four and a half to five hours, add in salt. Meanwhile, heat oven to 250F. Wash several jars in hot, soapy water and rinse well. Pat dry. Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Warm them up for fifteen minutes. This will sterilize the jars.
14. Once the jars are hot, and the ajvar is turned off (it’s still extremely hot so be careful) you’ll be transferring hot ajvar to hot jars. If you have another pair of gloves this is a good time to wear them. Also, have some clean kitchen towels around and use them if you need to to pick up jars. Protect your hands and fingers. Be very careful while you transfer ajvar into jars. Do jars one by one, and fill each up to the top, leaving the part where the ridges are that the lid screws on empty (so fill up almost to the top, leaving the top portion empty).
15. After you’ve filled up a jar, take a spoon, and press ajvar all the way into the jar, making sure there are no air bubbles left in the jar. Air is what makes ajvar go bad, so do not skip this step. Do it meticulously and do it for every jar.
16. When all the jars have been filled up, place them on a baking sheet and return to the warm, but turned off, oven without lids. It’s best if they’re left overnight, or at least for several hours. A crust will form on the top ajvar in each jar. The crust is basically ajvar that’s hardened and darkened. This will be a thin but hard layer. At this point, take out the jars, pour oil on top of the crust in each jar, and screw lids on tightly.
17. Keep ajvar in a dark and cool place. There is no need to it in the fridge until you open the jar. However, as soon as you open each jar, when not eating ajvar, it will have to be in the fridge. As you open a jar of ajvar for the first time, first pour out the oil that was on top, stir the ajvar in a jar, and then use.
18. Ajvar can last several months like this. Of course, it won’t last that long because it’s too delicious

If you want an easier way to have ajvar at home go to a store brand (https://finofinefoods.com/places), there is one thing you can do. Look for theFinoFineFoods Ajvar brand. It’s the best ajvar in the past few years on the Canadian Ajvar. Enjoy the taste!