Avjar on a plate

Ajvar

Name: Ajvar
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: Makes 1 litre
Ingredients: 12 sweet, red pointed peppers (such as Romano); 3 aubergines; 50ml vegetable or sunflower oil; 7 garlic cloves finely chopped; 3 tbsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

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Makes 1 litre

Easy

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 30 mins

plus cooling time

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Mixing the Turkish word havyar and the Persian xaviyar, both used to describe caviar, ajvar represents how precious this red pepper and aubergine relish is

Vegan

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Try this recipe for ajvar, then try our Macedonian pilinja pecheni (braised quail), Macedonian susamliji (sesame cookies) and Macedonian tarrator (chilled cucumber soup). Now discover how to cook like a local from Macedonia.

Ajvar recipe

Ingredients

12 sweet, red pointed peppers (such as Romano)
3 aubergines
50ml vegetable or sunflower oil
7 garlic cloves

finely chopped
3 tbsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Method

step 1

Char the peppers and aubergines by carefully holding them over the flames of a gas hob or under a grill set to high, turning often, until almost entirely blackened. Both should be softened but the peppers should still have a little bite. Immediately transfer to a large container with a lid, sealing after each addition – this will make the peeling process easier. Leave for about an hour or overnight.
step 2

Half-fill a large bowl with water. Carefully peel off the charred skins, discarding them and dipping your hands in the water as you go to clean them. Deseed the peppers and roughly chop both the peppers and aubergines.
step 3

Transfer to a blender or food processor and briefly blitz, or very finely chop by hand. Put a splash of the oil in a large non-stick pan over a low heat and gently fry the garlic until softened. Add the vegetables and bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 mins, stirring continuously to prevent the mixture from catching and using a spatula to scrape down the sides of the pan.
step 4

Add half the remaining oil and cook for 15 mins, then add the remaining oil, vinegar and a pinch of salt, and cook for 15 mins more until reduced and a thin layer of oil has formed on top. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 14 days, or for eight to 12 months in a sterilised jar.

Now try our Middle Eastern meze recipes.

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