Roasted Red Pepper Spread (Ajvar)
I discovered this spread in Croatia where it's served alongside any pork dish: grilled meats, kebabs, in pljeskavica (a hamburger with this spread), next to ćevapi (very similar to our mici)... it's actually used instead of mustard and ketchup. I've also seen Croatian soup recipes that include this spread.
And miraculously, I was able to eat this spread because it resembles our zacuscă!
Ingredients
1 large eggplant (about 600g)
6 large red bell peppers (about 1 kg)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 onion
3-4 garlic cloves
30 ml oil + 3 tablespoons oil
salt, pepper
How to prepare roasted red pepper spread (ajvar)
- Pierce the eggplant with a fork all around. Place the eggplant and peppers in the oven tray on parchment paper. Roast at 200°C for approximately 45 minutes for the peppers. Leave the eggplant for another 15 minutes. Turn the vegetables occasionally during roasting.
- Meanwhile, chop the onion and garlic and sauté them in 3 tablespoons olive oil until softened.
- When the vegetables are roasted, salt the peppers and cover them with plastic wrap for 10-15 minutes to sweat and be easier to peel.
- Peel the peppers of their skin, stems, and seeds. Peel the eggplant using the eggplant peeling technique from here.
- Put the peppers, eggplant flesh, lemon juice, onion, and garlic in a food processor, and add salt and pepper to taste. Blend well while slowly pouring in the oil, just like making mayonnaise.
- Store in jars in the refrigerator. Serve in bowls with parsley sprinkled on top.
Vegetables in the roasting pan
All ingredients in the food processor
Roasted Red Pepper Spread (Ajvar)