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Eat outdoors
Aivar on the grill on the grill

Grilled Ajvar (Roasted Pepper and Eggplant Relish)

Amazing, vibrant, light, wholesome, and fragrant! Grilled ajvar comes together from just two main ingredients, yet it tastes incredible. It pairs beautifully with potatoes in any form, with meat, kebabs, and poultry — perfect for a holiday spread or an everyday meal.

Pearl

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Bell pepper

Eggplant

0.5

Garlic

Sugar

Salt (to taste)

0.5

Vegetable oil

Vinegar

Ground pepper blend

Chili pepper

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 9 % 1 g

Fats 27 % 3 g

Carbohydrates 64 % 7 g

58 kcal

GI: 86 / 0 / 14

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make grilled ajvar? First you'll need to roast the vegetables. Get your eggplants and bell peppers ready — for this recipe, choose peppers that are meaty, juicy, and large; red and orange ones work great. Once the fire in the grill has burned down to coals, set the vegetables on a clean, dry grate and roast them over medium heat.
Step 2:

Turn the peppers and eggplants often so they roast evenly.
Step 3:

Cook until the skins of the peppers and eggplants char and darken. The time varies every time — it depends a lot on the size of the vegetables and the amount and intensity of the coals.
Step 4:

Transfer the peppers and eggplants to a deep bowl.
Step 5:

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20–30 minutes. The vegetables will steam nicely, making them incredibly easy to peel.
Step 6:

Peel the skin off the eggplants. Remove the core and seeds from the peppers and pull off their skins.
Step 7:

Chop the eggplants and peppers as finely as you can with a thin, sharp knife. If you have a lot of vegetables, run them through a meat grinder with a coarse plate. For a smoother ajvar, purée them in a blender.
Step 8:

Heat a neutral (odorless) vegetable oil in a skillet. Add the peppers and eggplants, season with salt to taste and the sugar. Stir and leave over medium heat until enough of the liquid has cooked off.
Step 9:

Add garlic pressed through a garlic press and the ground pepper blend to the skillet. Pour in a splash of vinegar if needed. Taste the sauce and adjust — add more of whatever it's missing.
Step 10:

Spoon the ajvar into a clean jar and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least overnight.
Step 11:

Uniquely delicious — you have to try it!

You can put ajvar up for the winter. In that case, add 50 ml of 6% vinegar at the end of cooking, keep it on the stove for about a minute, then ladle the hot sauce into pre-sterilized jars and seal with sterile lids. Turn the jars upside down and leave them under a warm blanket until fully cooled. Store the jars somewhere cool (I keep mine on the bottom shelf of the fridge). For extra assurance and longer shelf life, you can process the filled jars in a pot of water for 20–30 minutes before sealing with sterile lids. Enjoy!
Since everyone's preference for salt, sweetness, bitterness, heat, acidity, and spice is different, always add seasonings and spices to your own taste. If you're using a spice for the first time, keep in mind that some are especially easy to overdo — chili pepper, for one.
Use an oil with a high smoke point for frying! Every oil is good only up to a certain temperature — its smoke point — beyond which it starts to burn and forms harmful compounds. With rare exceptions, unrefined oils have a low smoke point: they're full of unfiltered organic particles that scorch quickly. Refined oils hold up better to heat, with a higher smoke point. If you're going to cook in the oven, in a skillet, or on the grill, make sure you use an oil with a high smoke point — the most common are refined sunflower, olive, and grapeseed.