Ajvar

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 2 kg pointed peppers, red
• 600 g bell pepper(s), green
• 1 kg eggplant(s)
• ½ bulb(s) garlic
• 800 ml water
• 400 ml Balsamic vinegar, white
• 400 ml olive oil
• 3 tsp paprika powder, hot
• 1 ½ tbsp sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• ½ tbsp pepper, ground
• Tabasco

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes

according to Croatian recipe

Clean and slice the peppers and eggplants. Peel the garlic and halve the cloves. Cook everything in the vinegar and water until the vegetables are soft. Pour the mixture into a sieve and let it drain. Once everything has cooled slightly, either put it through a meat grinder or puree it with a hand blender (coarse or fine, depending on your taste). Heat the pureed mixture with the oil and spices in a large pot for about 2.5 hours, stirring constantly to prevent burning. (At first, I thought stirring for too long was overkill, but the consistency and flavor will change during this time.) Finally, fill everything into hot, boiled twist-off jars. I got this recipe from a friend’s grandmother in Croatia, who sadly passed away. I hope I can keep this amazing recipe alive.