Ajvar (Serbian Roasted Red Pepper Relish)

Ajvar (Serbian Roasted Red Pepper Relish)

Get ready to fall in love with grill-roasted red peppers. One bite of Ajvar, and you will want to put this Serbian red pepper relish on everything from bread to meat and even veggies! 

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 small eggplant
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp white wine vinegar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the grill to medium high heat, roughly 450⁰F. (You should be able to hold your hand a few inches above the cooking grate for 4-6 seconds.)
• Pierce the skin of the eggplant all over with a fork. Place the eggplant over a cooler section of the grill (350-400⁰F) and let it roast, turning occasionally, until the skin darkens and the eggplant is soft, 30 minutes.
• While the eggplant is roasting, place the red peppers over the hottest part of the grill. Rotate the peppers as the skin blackens, until the peppers are soft and you have achieved a nice char on all sides.
• Place the charred red peppers in a paper bag or in a glass bowl covered with a tea towel to let them steam for 10 minutes.
• After steaming, the skin on the peppers should have loosened. Remove the stem and core of the peppers and peel off the skin. Place the remaining flesh into the bowl of your food processor.
• Once the eggplant is soft, remove it from the grill. Let it cool until it is easy to handle. Cut the eggplant in half. Scoop out the flesh and place it in the food processor with the red peppers.
• Add the raw garlic clove to the food processor and pulse until the mixture is well chopped.
• Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, and pulse until combined.*
• Taste your ajvar and adjust the salt and pepper as desired.
• Use your ajvar immediately or keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• It is a wonderful sauce to serve as an appetizer with bread. And, it also pairs beautifully with cevapi, Eastern European grilled sausages.