Ajvar

Ajvar is the Balkan condiment that does for grilled meats and crusty bread what a great pesto does for pasta. The name traces back to a Turkish word for caviar, and people across the former Yugoslavia call ajvar ‘vegetable caviar,' not because it looks like fish eggs but because it’s that important on a Balkan table.

The technique is simple, the flavor is anything but. Roasting bell peppers and eggplants until the skins blister and the flesh collapses gives you the smoky, almost meaty depth that defines real ajvar. Don’t peel the vegetables until they’re cool enough to handle, the trapped steam loosens the skins and they slip off in sheets.

Stirring in oil gradually (as much as the vegetables will absorb) is the move that turns this from a chunky vegetable mash into a glossy, spreadable relish. Pour it all in at once and the oil pools on the surface. Trickle it in and the pepper-eggplant pulp drinks it up.

Pro Tips

• Char the peppers directly over a gas flame or under a hot broiler if you want extra smoke, the bake-and-peel method works but loses some of the deep roasted character
• Steam the roasted vegetables in a covered bowl or paper bag for 10 minutes before peeling, this loosens the skins for clean removal
• Use the back of a fork or pulse in a food processor for chunky ajvar, or run it longer for a smoother spread depending on how you like it
• Salt to taste only after you stir in the lemon juice, the acid changes how the salt reads on the palate
• Ajvar keeps two weeks in the fridge under a thin layer of olive oil, the oil seals out air and the flavor deepens with time

Variations

• Add 1 small fresh hot chili pepper (or ¼ teaspoon of cayenne) for the spicy ‘ljuti’ version popular in Serbia and Macedonia
• Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste for a slightly sweeter, deeper red version
• Top with crumbled feta or kajmak cheese before serving for the classic Balkan appetizer presentation