Stickman turned me on to this Serbian condiment called Ajvar. It sounded good so I had to try my hand at making it. I found a recipe online and went for it. This stuff is incredible. Its basically a roasted red bell pepper spread, and can be made spicy or not.
10 to 12 red bell peppers
6 cloves garlic
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
Splash of vinegar (I used the juice of two fresh lemons, instead)
salt to taste. I used about 2 tsp.
1/2 tsp. pepper powder (optional) I used my smoked powder that is about 80% supers.
Cut red bells in half, deseed, and place open end down on a baking sheet. Broil about 3 to 4 inches under heat source for about 20 minutes, turning a couple of times.
Once in a bowl while still hot, cover with plastic wrap until they are cool enough to hold, then peel off all the skin.
Cut eggplant in half and put a tablespoon of olive oil on each half and broil for about 15 minutes. Never mind the onion in the photos. Those I did at the same time as I made some hot sauce later in the day.
Once the eggplant cools enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and add to the peeled roasted peppers, add garlic, then put in the food processor, add vinegar (or lemon juice) and blend into a mildly chunky mix.
Preheat a large skillet with the remaining olive oil then add the mix from the food processor. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the mix can be cut with a spatula and the mix stays parted without liquid filling the void. Add salt to taste. This is where I added the pepper powder, as well.
This stuff is awesome! Great as a dip with crackers, and went well on a ham sandwich, too.
10 to 12 red bell peppers
6 cloves garlic
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
Splash of vinegar (I used the juice of two fresh lemons, instead)
salt to taste. I used about 2 tsp.
1/2 tsp. pepper powder (optional) I used my smoked powder that is about 80% supers.
Cut red bells in half, deseed, and place open end down on a baking sheet. Broil about 3 to 4 inches under heat source for about 20 minutes, turning a couple of times.
Once in a bowl while still hot, cover with plastic wrap until they are cool enough to hold, then peel off all the skin.
Cut eggplant in half and put a tablespoon of olive oil on each half and broil for about 15 minutes. Never mind the onion in the photos. Those I did at the same time as I made some hot sauce later in the day.
Once the eggplant cools enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and add to the peeled roasted peppers, add garlic, then put in the food processor, add vinegar (or lemon juice) and blend into a mildly chunky mix.
Preheat a large skillet with the remaining olive oil then add the mix from the food processor. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the mix can be cut with a spatula and the mix stays parted without liquid filling the void. Add salt to taste. This is where I added the pepper powder, as well.
This stuff is awesome! Great as a dip with crackers, and went well on a ham sandwich, too.