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

Preparation

  1. 1️⃣ Roast: Broil or grill peppers (and eggplant) on high, turning, until heavily charred and soft (25–35 min).
  2. 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.
  3. 3️⃣ Chop: Finely chop by hand or pulse in a processor to a coarse paste (don’t purée completely).
  4. 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).
  5. 5️⃣ Season: Stir in vinegar, salt, sugar, black pepper, and chili (if using). Simmer 3–5 min more; adjust to taste.
  6. 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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