Croatian cuisine

Sauerkraut Meat Wraps / Sarma

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This dish is, hands down, one of my favorite local specialties. It’s an old folk dish, hearty and filling. And it is said that it tastes the best on the seventh day, when you reheat it for the seventh time. So you simmer it in your largest pot, hoping that it will actually last for seven days. It never does, though. We always polish off whatever we have in a couple of days.

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Sarma is traditionally prepared for New Year’s Eve celebrations. It’s supposed to be eaten after midnight, when everyone already has a steady alcohol flow in their bloodstreams. It warms you up and puts you back on your feet, so you can go party some more. Isn’t that a perfect dish, the one that brings you back to life?

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Don’t get intimidated by what seems like a lengthy process. Making a batch of Sarma isn’t really such a big deal.And, once cooked, you’ll have lunch and dinner situations solved for many days to come. This dish also freezes really well.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 20 wraps / 0.96 EUR per wrap / 19.30 EUR for all)

1 medium sized whole sauerkraut head, about 2.5 kilos (5.00 EUR)

0.2 kilos of smoked bacon (1.47 EUR)

1 large onion (0.10 EUR)

1 chili pepper (0.07 EUR)

4 garlic cloves (0.09 EUR)

Handful of fresh parsley (0.13 EUR)

1.5 kilos of 50:50 mixed minced beef and pork meat (11.00 EUR)

1 large egg (0.20 EUR)

1 cup rice (0.13 EUR)

Crack of fresh black pepper (0.01 EUR)

3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika, divided (0.20 EUR)

2 bay leaves (0.03 EUR)

1 tbsp tomato concentrate (0.07 EUR)

0.5 kilo cured smoked pork ribs, broken into smaller chunks(0.80 EUR)

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METHOD:

First taste your sauerkraut. If you think it’s too salty or sour, give it a quick rinse from excess brine. Using a small paring knife, gently separate 20 whole leaves from the head, cutting out and discarding the tough middle vein, and set aside. You’ll use these to make wraps. Thinly slice the remaining cabbage, discarding the tough middle stem. Place about 1/3 of shredded cabbage on the bottom of a large pot. This will ensure that wraps don’t stick to the pot and burn while cooking.

Finely chop bacon, onion, garlic, chili pepper and parsley. Add all to a large bowl and mix with your hands with minced meat, egg, rice, black pepper and 1 tbsp of paprika until thoroughly combined. I intentionally avoid adding any salt to the mixture, as cured meats and sauerkraut are already salty enough on its own.

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Squeeze a handful of meat mixture in a ball and wrap into sauerkraut leaf you prepared earlier. Neatly arrange wraps on the cabbage bed on your pot bottom, squeezing chunks of pork ribs in between and filling any gaps with shredded sauerkraut. When you finish the first row, add a row of shredded sauerkraut, sprinkle with 1 tbsp of paprika, add a bay leaf and repeat once more with another row of wraps. Once everything is used up, sprinkle with remaining tbsp of paprika, add bay leaf,tbsp of tomato concentrate and enough water to the pot that everything is submerged.

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Place pot on high heat until it starts boiling. Then reduce heat to medium and cook with lid cracked open for 1.5 hours. Don’t even attempt to stir during cooking as the wraps will fall apart.

Once cooked, serve on its own or with some mashed potatoes.

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 Ovo je jelo, bez imalo dvojbe, meni najdraži lokalni specijalitet. To je staro narodno jelo, zasitno i punog okusa. Kažu da je sarma najbolja sedmi dan, kada ju sedmi puta podgrijete. Pa ju uvijek kuham u najvećem loncu, u nadi da će nam možda i trajati sedam dana. To se još nije desilo. Uvijek smažemo sve što imamo u samo par dana.

Sarma se tradicionalno jede na dočeku Nove Godine, iza ponoći, kada su svi već dobro potkresani i imaju dovoljno alkohola u krvotoku. Ali sarma je tu da vas ugrije i digne natrag na noge, da možete dalje tulumariti. Zar jelo koje vas vraća natrag u život ne zvuči savršeno?

Nemojte se bojati pripreme sarme koja se možda čini dugačkom i kompliciranom. Sve je to zapravo jako jednostavno, a kada se sve skuha, imati ćete ručak i večeru riješene za sljedećih nekoliko dana. Također, sarma se i super smrzava.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 20 sarmi / 7,23 kn po sarmi / 144,70 kn za sve)

1 srednje velika cijela glavica kiselog kupusa, oko 2,5 kg (37,50 kn)

0,20 kn dimljenog špeka (11,00 kn)

1 veliki luk (0,75 kn)

1 čili papričica (0,50 kn)

4 češnja češnjaka (0,70 kn)

Pregršt svježeg peršina (1,00 kn)

1,5 kg 50:50 mješavine mljevenog goveđeg i svinjskog mesa (82,50 kn)

1 jaje (1,50 kn)

1 šalica riže (1,00 kn)

Prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,05 kn)

3 žlice slatke crvene paprike, podijeljene (1,50 kn)

2 lovorova lista (0,20 kn)

1 žlica koncentrata rajčice (0,50 kn)

0,5 kg dimljenih suhih svinjskih rebrica, nasiječenih na manje komade (6,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Prvo probajte kiselo zelje. Ako je prekiselo i preslano, isperite ga pod tekućom vodom. Nožićem nježno skinite 20 cijelih listova i odstranite im i bacite tvrdu glavnu žilu. Stavite na stranu. U te ćete listove kasnije umatati sarme. Tanko narežite ostatak zelja, a debelju stabljiku bacite. Oko 1/3 narezanog zelja rasporedite po dnu lonca, jer ćete tako osigurati da se sarme ne prime za dno i ne zagore dok se kuhaju.

Sitno nasjeckajte špek, luk, češnjak, čili i peršin pa ih u velikoj zdjeli rukama pomiješajte sa mljevenim mesom, jajem, rižom, paprom i 1 žlicom slatke paprike, dok ne dobijete jednoličnu smjesu. Ja namjerno ne solim meso iz razloga što su i kiselo zelje i suho meso dovoljno slani da začine svu sarmu.

Oblikujte loptice od mješavine mljevenog mesa i umatajte u ranije pripremljene listove zelja. Slažite sarme na posteljicu od narezanog zelja u loncu, a između njih rupe popunjavajte sa suhim rebricama i ostatkom narezanog zelja. Kada složite prvi red, pobacajte po vrhu još malo narezanog zelja, posipajte sa 1 žlicom paprike i stavite lovorov list, pa sve ponovite u drugom redu dok ne potrošite sve sastojke. Na kraju sve posipajte preostalom žlicom slatke paprike, dodajte list lovora, žlicu koncentrata rajčice i prelite vodom dok sarme ne budu potopljene.

Stavite lonac na jaku vatru dok ne zakipi, potom smanjite na srednje i kuhajte sa odškrinutim poklopcem 1,5 sat. Nemojte niti pokušavati miješati jer će vam se sarme raspasti.

Kada je sarma gotova, poslužite ju samu ili sa pire krumpirom.

Sauerkraut Meat Wraps / Sarma

Sauerkraut Bean Stew / Varivo od graha sa kiselim zeljem

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , , , 7 Comments

I’m crazy about sauerkraut. I love colder seasons just because of all the sauerkraut we get to devour. We eat it as a salad, in main dishes and side dishes. I’m yet to discover a sauerkraut desert to make the obsession come full circle.

This dish is so filling and easy, it’s just beautiful. Sure, it takes a while for it to cook, but you don’t have to hover over the pot so active cooking time is minimal. Also, this makes a humongous batch. I froze a ton, as it reheats wonderfully.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields about 10 generous servings / 0.78 EUR per serving / 7.81 EUR for whole)

500 g dried beans, presoaked overnight (2.00 EUR)

4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided (0.05 EUR)

1 large onion (0.10 EUR)

4 carrots (0.13 EUR)

3 chili peppers (0.20 EUR)

3 garlic cloves (0.07 EUR)

2 tbsp tomato paste(0.13 EUR)

2 dried bay leaves (0.03 EUR)

2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (0.01 EUR)

Sausages, smoked bacon or cured meats of choice (I used 1 kg of cured pork ribs and leftover bacon skins I had lying around); for vegan version omit (4.00 EUR)

6-8 cups warm water (–)

500 g sauerkraut (1.00 EUR)

2 tbsp plain white flour (0.01 EUR)

Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped (0.07 EUR)

Salt and pepper to taste (0.01 EUR)

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METHOD:

Rinse beans after soaking, place in pot, cover with fresh water and simmer on medium heat for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, clean and dice all the vegetables. Drain beans, discard the cooking water and rinse well. Set aside.

In a large pot saute diced onions on 2 tbsp of oil until translucent. Add diced carrots, chili peppers and minced garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste, bay leaves, paprika, rinsed beans and meats of choice if using, cover with about 6-8 cups of water, so everything is fully submerged, and simmer for 45 minutes on low. Wait with seasoning until the stew is done; my pork ribs and sauerkraut were pretty salty on its own. 45 minutes into cooking add sauerkraut and simmer for another 45 minutes, up to 1 hour, until the beans are completely softened.

In a small saucepan mix together the remaining 2 tbsp of oil with flour and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until flour starts smelling nutty and turns golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Once done, carefully pour into the pot of stew (it’s gonna be bubbly, so watch your hands). Stir until fully incorporated, add parsley and cook through for 5 more minutes. Adjust seasoning, fish out bay leaves and bacon skins, if using, and serve with a thick slice of yummy bread of your choice.

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Luda sam za kiselim zeljem. Hladnije vrijeme mi je drago samo zato jer ga možemo tamaniti. Jedemo kiselo zalje u salatama, u glavnom jelu i u prilozima. Moram samo još otkriti neki desert sa kiselim zeljem da obsesija napravi puni krug.

Ovo je jelo tako zasitno i lagano da je to milina. Istina, treba dosta vremena da se sve skuha, ali ne morate stajati nad loncem, tako da je aktivno vrijeme koje treba utrošiti zapravo minimalno. Također, dobiti ćete ogromnu količinu. Ja sam smrznula brdo variva, jer se super podgrijava.

SASTOJCI:

(Za oko 10 izdašnih porcija / 5,85 kn po porciji / 58,47 kn za sve)

500 g suhog graha, namočenog večer prije (15,00 kn)

4 žlice ulja, podijeljene (0,40 kn)

1 veliki luk (0,75 kn)

4 mrkve (1,00 kn)

3 čili papričice (1,50 kn)

3 češnja češnjaka (0,50 kn)

2 žlice koncentrata od rajčice (1,00 kn)

2 suha lovorova lista (0,20 kn)

2 žlice crvene slatke paprike (0,10 kn)

Kobasice, dimljena slanina ili suho meso po izboru (ja sam stavila oko 1 kg dimljenih suhih špic rebrica i kože od špeka koje sam skupljala u frižideru); za vegansku verziju izbaciti (30,00 kn)

6-8 šalica tople vode (–)

500 g kiselog zelja (7,50 kn)

2 žlice oštrog pšeničnog brašna (0,01 kn)

Svežanj svježeg peršina, sitno nasjeckanog (0,50 kn)

Soli i papra po ukusu (0,01 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Isperite grah nakon namakanja, stavite u lonac, pokrijte svježim vodom i kuhajte na srednjoj vatri oko 45 minuta. U međuvremenu, očistite i sitno nasjeckajte svo povrće. Nakon 45 minuta ocjedite i dobro isperite grah i bacite vodu od kuhanja, pa ga stavite na stranu.

U velikom loncu pirjajte nasjeckani luk na 2 žlice ulja dok ne postane proziran. Dodajte nasjeckane mrkvu, čili i češnjak pa pirjajte 5 minuta, povremeno miješajući. Dodajte koncentrat rajčice, lovorov list, slatku papriku, ocijeđeni grah i meso ako ga koristite, prelijte sa 6-8 šalica tople vode da sve bude potopljeno, pa krčkajte na laganoj vatri 45 minuta. Pričekajte sa solju i paprom dok vam varivo ne bude skroz gotovo; moja rebrica i zelje su bili jako slani pa nije uopće trebalo dodatno soliti. Nakon 45 minuta dodajte kiselo zelje i kuhajte još 45 minuta do 1 sat, dok grah skroz ne omekša.

U maloj tavici ili lončiću pomiješajte preostalih 2 žlice ulja sa brašnom i kuhajte na srednjoj vatri, stalno miješajući, dok brašno ne zamiriši i ne postane zlatno-smeđe, oko 3-5 minuta. Kada je gotovo, oprezno zapršku dodajte u grah, pazeći da vas ne pošprica po rukama. Miješajte dok se zaprška sasvim ne sjedini sa varivom i prokuhajte još 5 minuta. Probajte i začinite solju i paprom po potrebi, ispecajte van lovorove listove i kože od špeka ako ste ih stavili, i poslužite sa debelim komadom omiljenog kruha.

Sauerkraut Bean Stew / Varivo od graha sa kiselim zeljem

Stuffed Peppers / Punjene paprike

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , , , , 1 Comment

You know it’s autumn in Zagreb when you’re walking down the street and whole neighborhoods smell of stuffed peppers simmering. It makes me want to just randomly invite myself to peoples’ apartments and sit down at their table. Feed me your peppers, yo! I am crazy about this dish. It’s perfect – warm, hearty, filling, tasty, simple. And, you can make a humongous batch and freeze for later, which I always do. More often than not, my ambitions exceed the capacities of my pots. There’s always something spilling and bubbling over, because I’ve filled the pot to the brim. What can I say, I have a problem.

The key to making fantastic stuffed peppers is in two things: picking out the right peppers and picking out the right meat. Pick out peppers that are big, meaty and with intense smell. They don’t need to look perfect. You’re not gonna force them into a beauty pageant. Mine were all spotty and overripe. Petals were dark brown with a bit of gunk here and there. In other words, they were just right.

When it comes to meat, try to avoid buying prepackaged ground meats. Ever. That’s just not the right way to do ground meat. Supermarket ground meat is filled with preservatives to extend its shelf life. No one knows how long it’s been minced and hanging around. I won’t even go into the abyss off imagining from how many animals and which body parts it came from. I really think that ground meat should be used up on the same day it was minced. So, if you can’t mince it yourself, ask your butcher to do it for you and use it up on the same day.

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Okay, now that we’ve got these important questions out of the way, let’s do some stuffed peppers!

INGRIDIENTS:

(Yields 14 stuffed peppers / 1.03 EUR per stuffed pepper / 14.55 EUR for the whole batch)

14 large bell peppers – around 2 kilos (2.13 EUR)

1.5 kilo of mixed ground beef and pork – 50:50 (10.66 EUR)

1 large egg (0.20 EUR)

1 large onion, finely diced (0.13 EUR)

4 garlic cloves, minced (0.13 EUR)

1 chili pepper, seeds discarded, then finely diced (0.07 EUR)

Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped (0.13 EUR)

½ cup rice (0.07 EUR)

1 ½ tsp salt (0.01 EUR)

1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (0.07 EUR)

¼ tsp cayenne pepper (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper (0.01 EUR)

1 kilo tomato puree – 2 boxes (0.93 EUR)

Warm water to submerge the peppers – around 1 liter (–)

METHOD:

Wash peppers and remove stem and seeds with a small paring knife. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix ground meat with egg, diced onion, minced garlic, diced chilly, chopped parsley, rice, salt, paprika, cayenne and black pepper until thoroughly combined. Stuff prepared peppers with the filling and neatly arrange in a deep pot. Once all the filling and peppers are used up, pour tomato puree over. As necessary, add warm water until most of the peppers are submerged. Don’t worry if they are peeking out here and there, as they will cook through from the steam within the pot.

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Simmer on medium heat for two hours, with lid cracked open, so extra steam can escape. There is no need to stir this dish at all, as peppers are lighter than liquid and will float above the pot bottom, hence escaping the peril of ending burned.

Once cooked, serve with mashed potatoes.

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This dish freezes and reheats tremendously and tastes even better on the second day.

Znate da je jesen u Zagrebu kada cijeli kvartovi mirišu po punjenim paprikama. Od toga mi dođe da banem ljudima doma i samo se sparkiram za njihov stol. Dajte mi vaše paprike! Luda sam za ovim jelom jer je savršeno – toplo, domaće, zasitno, fino i jednostavno. I možete napraviti gargantuansku porciju i onda smrznuti za crne dane, a što ja uvijek napravim. Često moje ambicije premašuju kapacitete mojih lonaca. Uvijek mi nešto iskipi jer natrpam previše paprika. Što reći, imam problem.

Dvije su stvari ključne kod toga da paprike ispadnu fantastične: prave paprike i pravo meso. Uzmite paprike koje su debele, mesnate i intenzivnog mirisa. Ne moraju izgledati savršeno jer ih nećete natjerati na izbor za miss. Moje su bile točkaste i prezrele. Peteljke su bile smeđe i povenute, sa mjestima koje je trebalo izrezati van. Drugim riječima, bile su savršene.

Kada je u pitanju meso, probajte izbjegavati pakirano faširano meso. Uvijek. Dućansko faširano meso puno je konzervansa da može dulje stajati na polici. Nitko nema pojma o tome kada je smljeveno. Neću ni ulaziti u priču od koliko je životinja napravljeno i kojih sve njihovih dijelova. Mislim da je najbolje faširano meso iskoristiti isti dan kada je smljeveno. Ako ne možete sami samljeti meso, zamolite mesara da vam to napravi od komada koje ste izabrali i iskoristite ga obavezno isti dan.

Okej, sada kada smo riješili ove bitne stavke, idemo puniti paprike!

SASTOJCI:

(Za 14 punjenih paprika / 7,80 kn po punjenoj paprici / 109,16 kn za sve)

14 velikih paprika babura – oko 2 kg (16,00 kn)

1,5 kg miješanog mljevenog junećeg i svinjskog mesa – 50:50 (80,00 kn)

1 jaje (1,50 kn)

1 veliki luk, sitno nasjeckan (1,00 kn)

4 češnja češnjaka, sitno nasjeckana (1,00 kn)

1 čili papričica, sjemenke bačene, pa sitno nasjeckana (0,50 kn)

1 svežanj peršina, sitno nasjeckan (1,00 kn)

½ šalice riže (0,50 kn)

1 ½ žličica soli (0,01 kn)

1 žlica slatke paprike (0,50 kn)

¼ žličice kajenskog papra (ili ljute paprike) (0,10 kn)

½ žličice svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,05 kn)

1 kg pasirane rajčice – 2 tetrapaka (7,00 kn)

Tople vode da paprike budu potopljene – oko 1 litra (–)

PRIPREMA:

Operite paprike i nožićem im odstranite peteljke i koštice. U velikoj zdjeli rukama dobro izmješajte mljeveno meso, jaje, nasjeckane luk, češnjak, čili i peršin, rižu, sol, slatku papriku, kajenski papar i crni papar dok se svi sastojci ne prožmu. Punite paprike smjesom i uredno slažite u duboki lonac. Kada ste iskoristili svu smjesu i paprike, prelijte sve pasiranom rajčicom i dodajte vode dok paprike uglavnom nisu potopljene. Nema veze ako malo i strše van jer će se skuhati od pare u loncu.

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Krčkajte na srednje jakoj vatri dva sata, sa poklopcem mrvicu odškrinutim da višak pare može izaći van. Nema potrebe uopće miješati jer su paprike lakše od tekućine pa će se odignuti od dna lonca i neće zagoriti.

Kada su paprike kuhane, poslužite ih sa pire krumpirom.

Ovo se jelo super smrzava i podgrijava, a još je finije idući dan.

Stuffed Peppers / Punjene paprike

Homemade Ajvar / Domaći ajvar

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , , , , 7 Comments

Ajvar is a kitchen staple around these parts and while supermarkets offer a vast variety, I’ve decided to try and make my own for the first time ever, as peppers and eggplants are in season and dirt cheap at the moment. The process may seem a bit lengthy, but I think it’s most definitely worth it. Plus, it’s easier if you spread it during the couple of days and not try to squeeze everything in a single afternoon.

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A little heads up, though; it might seem to you that you have a ton of food when you start. But everything will cook down, a lot. I ended up with less than I hoped for. Still, I think I might do another batch, as the active work is not too terrible.

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INGREDIENTS:

(yields about 5 cups) = 0.58 EUR per cup, = 2.89 EUR for the whole batch

2 kilos red bell peppers (1.33 EUR, marketplace)

1 kilo eggplant (0.8 EUR, marketplace)

2 chili peppers (0.13 EUR, marketplace)

2 whole garlic heads (0.4 EUR, marketplace)

¼ cup apple cider vinegar (0.07 EUR)

½ cup vegetable oil, divided (0.13 EUR)

1 tbsp sugar (0.01 EUR)

1 heaping tsp salt (0.01 EUR)

Black pepper to taste (0.01 EUR)

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 220°C. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil. Wash peppers, eggplant and chili peppers and pat dry. Deseed peppers and cut stems of eggplant, spread over baking sheets together with garlic heads and chili peppers and bake for 30-40 minutes, until skins of eggplant and peppers are black. Once done, put everything in a large covered bowl or a zip lock bag and let cool completely. You want everything covered as this will help to loosen the skins off peppers.

Once cool, drain of any liquids, peel the skins of peppers, eggplant and garlic and discard seeds from chili peppers if you want a milder dip. Add vinegar, salt, sugar and about half the oil and blitz in a food processor to make a paste. You can leave it a bit chunky if that’s what you prefer.

Put paste in a deep pot to cook on medium heat for about 30-45 minutes, until ajvar thickens, stirring frequently. Reserve about 2-3 tbsp of remaining oil for later and gradually stir in more oil as ajvar cooks. Oil is to prevent it from spoiling, but be careful to not overdo with it, as the spread will taste greasy.

If canning, prepare your jars while ajvar is cooking and make sure to preheat oven to 100°C, as you’ll put jars in the oven for final seal. Once ajvar thickens taste for seasoning, add more salt and black pepper if necessary and fill the jars, making sure to squeeze everything down with a spoon so there are no air bubbles inside the jars. Spread everything evenly with back of the spoon once jars are filled, carefully wipe jar rims and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until crust forms. Remove jars from the oven, drip the remaining oil on top to cover ajvar in a thin film, screw lids on tightly and leave to cool completely before storing in a cool dark place.

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Iako su police dućana krcate ajvarom, ove sam godine odlučila po prvi puta napraviti svoj domaći, a posebno jer je sezona paprika i patliđana pa su i jeftini. Sam postupak je možda poduži, ali ja mislim da se zbog konačnog proizvoda isplati. A i lakše je ako posao raspodijelite na nekoliko dana i ne pokušate sve ugurati u jedno poslijepodne.

Samo mala napomena; možda vam se čini da imate gomilu hrane kada počnete, ali to će se sve iskuhati. Meni je na kraju ispalo manje nego što sam se nadala. Svejedno, mislim da ću napraviti još jednu turu, jer samog aktivnog posla i nema toliko strašno puno.

SASTOJCI:

(za cca 5 šalica, ili 3 male teglice) = 4,34 kn po šalici, = 7,23 kn po teglici, = 21,70 kn za sve

2 kg crvenih paprika roga (10,00 kn, tržnica)

1 kg patliđana (6,00 kn, tržnica)

2 ljute papričice (1,00 kn, tržnica)

2 cijela češnja češnjaka (3,00 kn, tržnica)

¼ šalice jabučnog octa (0,5 kn)

½ šalice ulja (1,00 kn)

1 žličica soli (0,05 kn)

1 žlica šećera (0,05 kn)

Crnog papra po želji (0,1 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pećnicu na 220°C. Obložite dva lima za pećenje sa aluminijskom folijom. Dobro operite paprike, patliđane i čili papričice i posušite ih kuhinjskom krpom. Očistite paprike od sjemenki, odrežite peteljke patliđanima i rasporedite po limovima sa čilijima i češnjakom, pa pecite 30-40 minuta, dok im koža ne pocrni. Kad je sve gotovo, stavite u poklopljenu posudu ili u zavezanu vrećicu dok se ne skroz ne ohladi. To će pomoći da kože skliznu sa paprika i patliđana.

Ocijedite tekućinu koja se skupila, ogulite patliđane, paprike i češnjak, izvadite čilijima sjemenke ako želite blaži ajvar te sve usitnite u blenderu skupa sa octom, soli, šećerom i polovicom ulja. Po želji ostavite i malo krupnijih komadića.

Dobivenu pastu stavite u dublji lonac na umjerenu vatru i kuhajte, često miješajući, oko 30-45 minuta, dok se ajvar ne zgusne. Kako kuhate, postepeno dodajte u ajvar preostalo ulje, a 2-3 žlice sačuvajte za kasnije. Ulje pomaže za konzerviranje da se ajvar kasnije ne pokvari, ali pazite da ne pretjerate da vam ne ispadne premasno.

Ako želite konzervirati ajvar, priredite i dobro operite sve staklenke dok se ajvar kuha i ugrijte pećnicu na 100˘C, jer ćete kasnije staviti staklenke da se zapečate. Kad se ajvar ukuhao na željenu gustoću, provjerite okus te po potrebi dodajte još soli i crnog papra po želji. Punite staklenke pazeći da žlicom istisnete van što više zraka. Na kraju poravnajte vrh, obrišite pažljivo rubove staklenki i stavite ih u pećnicu na 10-15 minuta dok se ne uhvati korica. Izvadite staklenke iz pećnice, nakapajte po vrhu ostatak ulja da ajvar bude prekriven tankim filmom, dobro zatvorite staklenke i ostavite da se do kraja ohlade prije nego što ih odložite na tamno i hladnije mjesto.

Homemade Ajvar / Domaći ajvar