Among the spicy and spicy seasonings adjika takes one of the leading positions. It refers to the Caucasian cuisine, known for its love for hot snacks. Traditional adjika has the simplest composition: it includes only hot pepper, salt and spicy herbs. Moreover, the salt is added so much that the finished seasoning can be stored for a long time even under not the most favorable conditions. However, today the presence of a refrigerator in every house allowed to slightly recede from traditions and make adjika less salty, but equally burning and fragrant. It is clear that the seasoning made from only one hot pepper cannot serve as an independent snack, therefore the classic recipe of adzhika has undergone significant changes. Among the recipes for homemade adzhiki are popular ones that involve the use of sweet peppers, tomatoes, other vegetables, and fruits. Moreover, the hostess give preference to variations that allow to prepare an adjika for the winter.
Cooking Features
A variety of recipes home adzhika makes feasible its preparation, including for the winter, even for inexperienced housewives. However, they may come in handy with the advice of experienced chefs.
- For traditional adzhika, you need to choose the sharpest varieties of pepper, and it can be slightly dried before chopping.
- The seeds are the hottest in pepper. If you want to get a snack with a slightly softer taste, they are best removed.
- If the spices are fried in a dry frying pan before being added to the appetizer, adjika will have a more intense flavor.
- By processing a large amount of hot pepper, you can get burned. Therefore, it is necessary to work, having protected hands with disposable gloves. To pairs of pepper did not cause irritation of the respiratory system, it is better to clean the pepper in cool water.
- For making adzhika according to any of the recipes, it is desirable to use enameled containers and wooden spoons. You can replace them with stainless steel utensils, but not with aluminum ones. Pepper has a lot of vitamin C, and ascorbic acid can react with aluminum, which, when oxidized, releases harmful substances.
- Most popular home adzhika recipes include tomatoes. Before use, they must be removed from the skin. Make it simple, if, by cutting the tomatoes crosswise, lower them for a couple of minutes in boiling water. After such a manipulation, the tomatoes need only be cooled by shifting with a slotted spoon into a basin with cold water, and then removing the skin from them by pulling it around the tips.
- Whether to grind tomatoes before mixing with other ingredients is a controversial issue. Most recipes involve grinding them with a meat grinder or blender. However, some hostesses prefer slices of tomatoes in adjika. In this case, they are enough to cut into small pieces of arbitrary shape.
- If adjika is prepared for the winter, it should be laid out on sterilized jars, regardless of the temperature at which the snack will be stored. Banks must also be sealed. To do this, use either metal covers, rolling with a special key, or screw. Lids must be boiled before use.
By following these recommendations and the instructions accompanying a particular recipe, you will certainly be able to cook a delicious adjika that you can store all winter.
Classic adjika recipe
The composition (0, 5 l):
- hot peppers - 1 kg;
- garlic (optional) - 1 head;
- cilantro - 20 g;
- dill - 10 g;
- basil - 10 g;
- savory - 10 g;
- salt - 40 g;
- pomegranate juice (optional) - until the desired consistency is obtained.
Method of preparation:
- Wash and dry the peppers. In the Caucasus, it is laid out for this in a well-ventilated place and wait 2-3 days. You can do the same or use the oven to speed up the process.
- Cut off the stalks of the peppers - they are not needed.
- Cut the pepper into small pieces. For authentic taste, seeds are best not to remove.
- Peel the garlic, cut each clove into several pieces.
- Finely chop the greens.
- Divide all products into several parts, not necessarily equal.
- Put one portion of each product, add some salt, and grind everything with a pestle. To make a real Caucasian adzhika, you need to grind the ingredients in this way, otherwise the consistency of adjika will not be exactly the same as that of a traditional Caucasian seasoning.
- In the same way, crush the remaining products in portions.
- Mix everything, if desired, dilute to the consistency you need with pomegranate juice or table wine.
It remains to expand the adjika into clean jars, close them tightly and put them in the fridge - heat treatment of the products is not provided for the classical recipe for the preparation of adjika. You can store it for a long time, at least throughout the winter, but only in the refrigerator.
Adapted recipe of Caucasian adzhika
The composition (0, 5 l):
- hot chilli pepper - 0, 3 kg;
- sweet pepper - 0, 7 kg;
- garlic - 1 head;
- cilantro - 50 g;
- purple basil - 20 g;
- salt - 40 g.
Method of preparation:
- Wash the peppers. Blot them with napkins. Cut the stalk. Cut the fruit along and remove the seeds from them. Cut into small pieces. It is necessary to do this with all varieties of pepper: both hot and Bulgarian.
- Grind both kinds of pepper with a blender. It is acceptable to use a meat grinder, but it should be borne in mind that in this case the adjika will have a rougher consistency.
- Finely chop cilantro and basil with a knife.
- Peel the garlic cloves and chop them in the same way as the pepper.
- Mix the pepper with garlic and salt. Stir until the salt dissolves.
- Add chopped greens, mix.
- Sterilize cans that have a small capacity (baby food cans can be used) and lids.
- Spread the adjika into the jars, seal and pack in the refrigerator.
Caucasian adjika can be used as a seasoning immediately, but it is better to let it stand for 30-40 days - gourmets say that in this case it will be tastier.
Adjika Georgian with walnuts
Composition (for 0, 65-0, 75 l):
- Bulgarian pepper - 0, 75 kg;
- walnut kernels - 0, 25 kg;
- garlic - 1 head;
- chili pepper - 3 pcs .;
- hops-suneli - 10 g;
- cinnamon - a pinch;
- salt - 40 g;
- coriander - 10 g.
Method of preparation:
- Wash the peppers, peel them from the seeds, and cut them into pieces, turn them through a meat grinder.
- Do the same with garlic and walnuts.
- Mix the pepper puree with a nut-garlic mass. Stir with a blender to get a thinner consistency.
- Add spices and salt. Stir again with a mixer or blender. You need to stir for at least 5 minutes, otherwise the salt may not have time to dissolve.
It remains to pour the adjika into sterilized bottles, screw them up and put them in storage in the refrigerator.
Adjika in Armenian
Composition (3 liters):
- tomatoes - 3 kg;
- bitter pepper - 0, 25 kg;
- garlic - 0.5 kg;
- salt - 20 g.
Method of preparation:
- Wash, boil the tomatoes and peel. Cut into chunks and break into a blender.
- Salt tomato puree and mix well.
- Prepare garlic and pepper, chop them with a meat grinder and mix with tomato paste. It is important to salt the tomatoes before adding other ingredients, otherwise they will be almost tasteless.
- Place the resulting mixture in an enamel container and leave for 2 weeks in a cool place. Stir it daily.
- After 10-14 days, pour the adjika into the glass jars, close them tightly and put in the refrigerator.
Don't worry about the tomatoes being sour - if you do everything right, this will not happen.
Adjika with horseradish for the winter
Composition (for 4, 5-5 l):
- tomatoes - 2 kg;
- sweet pepper - 2 kg;
- bitter pepper - 1, 5 kg;
- garlic - 100 g;
- horseradish roots - 100 g;
- sugar - 20 g;
- salt - 40 g;
- Table vinegar (9 percent) - 100 ml.
Method of preparation:
- Wash and dab the vegetables with a towel.
- Clean horseradish.
- Remove the seeds from the peppers, chop the peppers themselves.
- Tomatoes, after pouring boiling water, peel. Cut each into 6-8 pieces.
- Crank all the vegetables together with horseradish through a meat grinder, mix with salt and sugar.
- Place the saucepan with vegetables on low heat, cook for 5 minutes, stirring, to dissolve the salt and sugar. For 2-3 days, leave in a dark cool place to infuse.
- After the specified time, pour in vinegar, mix.
After this, the adjika needs to be decomposed into prepared cans, close them tightly and put away in the cold, for example in a refrigerator. Adjika prepared according to this recipe can be left for the winter, but only in a cool place.
Home adjika with apples for the winter
Composition (3 liters):
- tomatoes - 3 kg;
- sweet pepper - 1 kg;
- sour apples - 0.5 kg;
- carrots - 0, 2 kg;
- garlic - 0, 2 kg;
- bitter pepper - 0, 2 kg;
- vegetable oil - 0, 25 l;
- salt - 60 g.
Method of preparation:
- Pour the boiled water over the tomatoes, peel and cut into small pieces, place on the bottom of a large enamel pan.
- Wash the apples, cut the core. If desired, they can be cleaned, but it is not necessary. Crank the apples through a meat grinder or chop it in another way. For example, you can simply rub them.
- At peppers, remove stalks and seeds, chop them with a blender or meat grinder.
- Peel and finely grate the carrots.
- Crush garlic with a hand press or chop in any other way.
- Mix all the ingredients, pouring in oil and adding salt, with chopped tomatoes.
- Put the pan on the fire and cook for 2 hours. During this time, the volume of snacks will decrease significantly, but it will have a richer taste. Stir it constantly so that it does not burn.
- Sterilize the jars and fill them with adjika. Cork.
The adjika prepared according to this recipe can be stored at room temperature, therefore many housewives prefer to cook it.
Adjika is one of the hottest snacks prepared for the winter. Cooked according to the traditional recipe adjika serves as a seasoning. Adjika, which consists of tomatoes, is used as a sauce or even as an independent snack.
