Ajvar shtëpie me speca të kuq

Ingredients for 8

• 5 kg red kapia peppers
• 1.5 kg eggplants
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) sunflower oil
• 20 g sea salt
• 20 ml (0.08 cups) apple cider vinegar
• 10 g (0.05 cups) sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced

Method

1. Roasting the vegetables. Wash the red kapia peppers and eggplants well. Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and roast them in an oven preheated to 200°C for about 35-40 minutes, turning them during baking until the skin is charred and blistered.
2. Covering and peeling. Transfer the hot peppers and eggplants into a deep bowl and cover them with a lid or plastic bag for 20 minutes. This steaming process allows their skin to peel off easily without damaging the flesh.
3. Draining the liquid. Carefully peel the skin off the peppers and eggplants, and remove the seeds and stems from the peppers. Place the cleaned ingredients in a large colander and leave them to drain excess liquid for at least 1 hour.
4. Grinding the ingredients. Pass the drained flesh of the peppers and eggplants through a meat grinder with medium holes or process them in a food processor to achieve a smooth mixture with a traditional texture.
5. Sautéing the ajvar. Transfer the ground mixture into a wide, heavy-bottomed pot. Add half of the amount of sunflower oil (150 ml [0.63 cups]) and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
6. Enriching with seasonings. After 30 minutes of cooking, add the remaining 150 ml (0.63 cups) of sunflower oil, the sea salt, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and finely minced garlic. Continue sautéing for another 30-40 minutes until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the bottom of the pot while stirring.
7. Sterilizing and filling. Sterilize glass jars in the oven at 100°C for 15 minutes. Pour the hot ajvar into the warm jars, seal them tightly with secure lids, and turn them upside down until fully cooled to create a vacuum seal.