Ajvar 🫑 Roasted Pepper Spread 🇷🇸 (Balkan Red Pepper Relish)
By RichardObradovic |
Sauces |
Balkan |
Sep 20, 2025 |
57 views
Description
Smoky-sweet roasted red pepper spread—silky, bright, and deeply savory. Perfect with bread, grilled meats, and cheese. 🥖🔥
Hook: Big-batch flavor from simple peppers—roast, peel, simmer, done. ⚡
Ingredients
- 🫑 Red bell/roasting peppers, whole: 2 kg (10–12 large / 4.4 lb)
- 🍆 Eggplant, whole (optional but classic): 500 g (1 large / 1.1 lb)
- 🧄 Garlic, minced: 12 g (4 cloves / 0.4 oz)
- 🫗 Sunflower oil: 120 ml (½ cup / 4 fl oz)
- 🍎 Apple cider vinegar: 15 ml (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
- 🧂 Salt: to taste (≈10 g / 1¾ tsp)
- 🍬 Sugar (optional, balances acidity): 5 g (1 tsp / 0.18 oz)
- ⚫ Black pepper, ground: 1 g (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
- 🌶️ Hot chili or flakes (optional): 1 small chili or 1 tsp flakes
Preparation
- 1️⃣ Roast: Broil or grill peppers (and eggplant) on high, turning, until heavily charred and soft (25–35 min).
- 2️⃣ Steam & peel: Transfer to a bowl, cover 15 min to steam. Peel skins; remove stems/seeds. Drain in a sieve 20–30 min to reduce excess liquid.
- 3️⃣ Chop: Finely chop by hand or pulse in a processor to a coarse paste (don’t purée completely).
- 4️⃣ Cook down: In a wide pot, warm oil. Add pepper/eggplant mixture and garlic. Cook on medium-low, stirring often, until thick, glossy, and reduced (35–45 min).
- 5️⃣ Season: Stir in vinegar, salt, sugar, black pepper, and chili (if using). Simmer 3–5 min more; adjust to taste.
- 6️⃣ Serve/store: Cool. Keep refrigerated up to 1 week, or jar hot into sterilized jars for longer storage.
Total Time
🕒 Prep: 25 min
🔥 Cook: 1 h 20 min
⏳ Total: 1 h 45 min
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