GF Vegan Homemade Ajvar (Roasted Red Pepper Spread)

Ajvar ( pronounced EYE-var), also called as zakuska at some places, is a treasure of the Balkans, particularly the cuisines of Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Romania. It goes by many names depending on who’s doing it and what’s added to the pot. Ajvar can taste mild and fruity or sharp and spicy. It might get a dose of chopped tomatoes or roast eggplant or even cheese. Though it’s made with oil, it’s mostly vegetable by mass, as healthy as a condiment could wish to be. But it’s also brilliant with hearty kebabs. Traditionally, the peppers are roasted over direct flame until their skins char and they collapse in on themselves, sweet and sticky; Once roasted, the peppers are seeded and skinned, then milled into a chunky paste. The purée is mixed with oil and stewed in large pots to drive off moisture and concentrate its flavor into a thick mash, which is mixed with salt and maybe vinegar or lemon juice, and packed in jars and sealed for the year to come.

You can eat ajvar all on its own with a spoon. Or add it to a plate with some green onions, vegan yogurt or vegan feta, bread, and you have a quick and tasty picnic for one. Other versions are ideal for spreading on slices of bread. In Bosnia they serve ajvar as a side to grilled meat and vegetables or kebabs; though cevapi—little fingers of ground meat seasoned with salt and garlic, then wrapped in fat and seared over a wood fire—are the real deal there. Which, of course has its vegan version, too, so you don't have to miss on anything.