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Ajvar


Ajvar is a yummy spread made from roasted peppers and eggplants. It's an Eastern European specialty and is also known as Croatian/Serbian red pepper ketchup. The consistency of the spread can be chunky or mashed, depends on your liking. Simply serve with flatbread as an appetizer or alongside any grilled meat. Delightful!


Ajvar

Ingredients

5 to 6 Bell Peppers (medium sized, about 780 g)
2 Eggplants (about 700 g)
2 Cloves Garlic, mashed to paste
3 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Lemon Juice
Sea Salt
Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 450˚F.

Place the peppers and eggplants in a large baking tray, and roast for about 40 minutes or until soft. Remove the stems, skins, and seeds from the peppers, and finely chop the flesh. Remove the stem and skin from the eggplant, and finely chop the flesh.

Combine the chopped peppers, eggplants, garlic, olive oil, cayenne pepper, and season with lemon juice and sea salt. Sprinkle some finely chop parsley before serving.

Comments

  1. DeeeeeLicious! Love Avjar!!

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  2. I've never heard of this spread, but it sounds absolutely delicious!

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  3. wow I too have never heard of this spread but it sure sounds delicious - especially with roasted red peppers! should i use just the red peppers or will any color do?

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  4. Gosh this looks and sounds appealing. Never heard of it.

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  5. In my country (Slovenia) and I'm sure that in Croatia and Serbia as well, it is called "ajvar" and not "avjar". And for it to be called a Serbian ketchup sounds like such an underestimate, but maybe this comes only from my aversion to ketchup in general. I hope you get a chance to try this spread with a real Serbian barbecue, because it is the best barbecue and the best spread in the world and I miss it dearly when I am abroad. I love to see food that I love from this region to finally reach out to people and get some recognition in the world, so thank you and please keep up the good work:)

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  6. Our daughter-in-law's family is from Croatia. Our son and his wife went there for a wedding and brought back Avjar, olive oil and other tasty treats. Thank you for the recipe. I wanted more Avjar as soon as I finished the last morsel in the jar.

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  7. In my country (Slovenia) and I am sure that in Croatia and Serbia as well this spread is called "ajvar" and not "avjar" . to call it Serbian ketchup, to me sounds as a horrible underestimate, though that might just be coming from my aversion to ketchup in general. I hope you are or will be able to try this out with a real Serbian barbecue, which is the world's best barbecue with the best quality spreads as well. I am really happy that the food from this region, and that I love as well and miss when I'm living abroad is finally getting some recognition in the world. Thank you for sharing it:)
    Maja

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  8. Mmm this sounds lovely!

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  9. @majathecactus: Thanks. There was a typo on the title, and I have rectified it.

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  10. Traditionaly, ajvar is made of only red peppers, not eggplant. And, it's never a red pepper ketchup and never will be. There is no garlic, lemon juice or cayenne pepper in the traditional recipe. I am from Macedonia, where we prepare ajvar for every single winter. Over all, looks good.

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  11. I've never heard of avjar before, but I love the sound of it based on the ingredients. I love hearing about new dishes. Thanks for sharing!

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