Beet Adjika for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make beet adjika for winter? Get your ingredients ready. I used young, fresh vegetables and weighed everything out on a kitchen scale. Rinse the vegetables under cold running water and scrub the root vegetables well with a brush.

2. Step 2:

   

   Peel the carrots and beets, then wash and dry them.

3. Step 3:

   

   Cut the carrots and beets into small pieces.

4. Step 4:

   

   Grind the vegetables however is easiest for you — using a coarse grater, a meat grinder, or a food processor.

5. Step 5:

   

   Put the ground vegetables in a deep bowl. Combine them with the salt, sugar, and vegetable oil.

6. Step 6:

   

   Mix everything well and let it sit for 10 minutes so the vegetables release their juices. If your vegetables aren't very juicy, you'll probably need a little more tomato or tomato juice down the line than the recipe calls for.

7. Step 7:

   

   Remove the seeds and stem from the bell pepper and cut it into small pieces. Chop the tomatoes as well.

8. Step 8:

   

   Grind the bell pepper and tomatoes. You can use a meat grinder, grater, or blender. Instead of tomatoes, you can use 200 ml of ready-made tomato juice.

9. Step 9:

   

   Peel and wash the garlic; cut the stem off the chili pepper and remove the seeds. Mince the garlic with a knife or a press, and finely chop the chili. The amount of garlic and chili you add will decide the adjika's final flavor. You can dial the heat up or down by using more or less garlic or chili to taste.

10. Step 10:

    

    Transfer the carrots and beets to a deep skillet and add half of the tomato juice. Simmer over low heat, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a little tomato juice as needed so the mixture doesn't scorch.

11. Step 11:

    

    Add the ground bell pepper and the remaining tomato juice. Mix well.

12. Step 12:

    

    Add the garlic, bay leaf, and chili pepper.

13. Step 13:

    

    Simmer for 30–40 minutes, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once the vegetables are soft and cooked down, taste the adjika and add salt or pepper if needed. Then pour in the vinegar essence and mix everything well. If you like, you can blend the finished adjika to a completely smooth consistency — just fish out the bay leaf first.

14. Step 14:

    

    Wash the jars and be sure to sterilize them however you prefer (in the microwave, oven, or in a pot on the stove). Ladle the adjika into the hot jars and seal with lids. Leave the jars out until completely cooled, then move them to a cool place.