Ajvar Recipe – Balkan Food

Name: Ajvar Recipe – Balkan Food
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 4 medium red bell peppers; 2 eggplants; 2 garlic cloves; 1 small onion; ½ teaspoon hot paprika powder; ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika powder; 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; ¼ cup olive oil; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon black pepper

User Reviews

5.0

6 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Additional Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings
8 servings
Calories
101 kcal
Course
Condiments
Cuisine
Albanian

Ajvar Recipe – Balkan Food

Freya Patterson

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Delicious ajvar recipe, one of the most popular Balkan foods. A great dip made with smoky roasted red pepper and eggplants.

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Ingredients

Servings

4 medium red bell peppers about 600 g/ 1.3 lbs
2 eggplants about 500 g/ 1.1 lbs
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion about 50 g/ 1.8 oz
½ teaspoon hot paprika powder more to taste
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika powder not hot, more to taste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

Roast vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Place the red bell peppers and the eggplants on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on size, until the skin blackens and the vegetables are really soft. Turn them halfway.4 medium red bell peppers + 2 eggplants
Roasting the eggplants might take a little longer than the peppers, they are usually larger. Make sure that the eggplants are perfectly soft, undercooked eggplants are terrible.Alternatively and even better for the taste is to grill the veggies on a hot grill or burn them on the hob. See Romanian Roasted Eggplant Salad.
Remove skin: Cover the red peppers with plastic wrap and leave them until they cool down slightly. This will help with removing the skin. Let the eggplants cool down as well. When cool enough to handle remove the skins of the vegetables very thoroughly.
Chop the vegetables, not very finely; you should still have small chunks of the veggies here and there. Alternatively, you can use a food processor or an immersion blender, however, make sure that you don't turn the vegetables into a paste. The ajvar should remain only roughly chopped.
Spices: Add the finely chopped onion, grated garlic clove, both types of paprika powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well and add the vinegar and lemon juice.2 garlic cloves + 1 small onion + ½ teaspoon hot paprika powder + ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika powder + 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar + 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice + ½ teaspoon fine sea salt + ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Add the olive oil in a thin stream while stirring all the time. Adjust the taste with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve as suggested above. ¼ cup olive oil

Nutrition Information

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Serving 2-3 tablespoons Calories 101kcal (5%) Carbohydrates 12g (4%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 6g (9%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 5g Sodium 136mg (6%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 6g (12%)