Ajvar is a typical Croatian sauce, simple and quick to prepare and perfect for accompanying grilled meat dishes, but also great for spreading on toasted bread crostini. A variation on the babaganoush recipe, equally tasty.
Ajvar sauce is mainly prepared with red peppers, eggplants, garlic, and chili pepper if you want it spicy. It is mainly popular in the Balkan countries but also known in Trieste. Dense, full-bodied, and with a deep red color, this sauce reminds me a lot of my childhood vacations in Croatia with my parents.
Every time we went out to a restaurant, I would order the typical Croatian elongated meatballs: cevapcici. I loved them, and they were always served with this little sauce. Creamy and irresistible, this sauce is as delicious as it is time-consuming to prepare. However, you can make a large batch to store in glass jars with the appropriate precautions and keep them for winter or fall.
Preparing the ajvar recipe is very simple. First of all, it is good to clarify that the variety of peppers usually used is the roga, which is similar in shape to horn peppers. These vegetables, along with the eggplants, are roasted in the oven, then skinned, and only the pulp is used. To speed up cooking time, I used the air fryer: faster and less heat than a traditional oven.
I will skip the description of the following steps, as I am too eager to explain in detail how to prepare this irresistible sauce. Curious to find out how to make it? Here is the recipe below, because the ajvar will be ready in a click!
If you are interested in other tasty recipes, also read:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 1 Piece
- Cooking methods: Stove, Air frying
- Cuisine: Croatian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 137.45 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 9.32 (g) of which sugars 7.91 (g)
- Proteins 1.59 (g)
- Fat 10.43 (g) of which saturated 1.39 (g)of which unsaturated 8.36 (g)
- Fibers 3.67 (g)
- Sodium 778.63 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 57 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 lb horn peppers
- 7 oz eggplants
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 hot chili pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- salt (to taste)
Tools
- Air Fryer
- Blender
- Pan
- Bowl
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Steps
For this recipe, you will need red horn peppers. Wash them thoroughly under water and dry them with paper towels. Do the same with the eggplant and prick it with a fork.
Then place all the vegetables in the air fryer basket and cook at 374°F (190°C) for 20 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. Once they are roasted, remove them from the fryer and let them cool. The peppers will be roasted when the skin is wrinkled. The eggplants are done when you can easily pierce them with a fork.
Once the vegetables have cooled, remove their skin, which will come off easily. Remove the seeds and internal filaments from the peppers, and transfer them along with the eggplant to the blender jar. Then blend them until you obtain a coarse consistency.
Transfer the mixture into a bowl and add the chopped chili pepper, sugar, vinegar, and half of the oil. Mix very well until all the ingredients are well combined.
Separately, clean a garlic clove and sauté it for a few minutes in a non-stick pan with the remaining oil. Be careful because garlic takes very little time to burn. I recommend sautéing it over low heat, turning it occasionally.
Once it is golden, remove it and add the blended vegetables. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Then season with salt and continue cooking for another 10 minutes over very low heat, stirring occasionally. The sauce should thicken and reach a jam-like consistency.
The ajvar sauce is ready! Turn off the heat and let it cool in a bowl or a glass jar before enjoying it.
Storage and tips for ajvar
The ajvar sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days in a container with a lid. You can also prepare it in large quantities and store it in sterilized glass jars, taking the necessary precautions for long-term preserves.
FAQ Questions and Answers for ajvar
Can I omit the chili pepper?
Yes, of course. This sauce can also be prepared without using chili pepper. The final result will have a sweeter taste.
