Roasted capsicum and eggplant relish (ajvar)

A combination of roasted red capsicum, eggplant, garlic and lemon, this Croatian dip is a delicious accompaniment to grilled and roasted meats.

• makes

  2½ cups

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 450 g (about 2) red capsicums 
• 1 eggplant 
• 1 garlic clove, crushed 
• ½ lemon, juiced 
• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil 
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cooling time  30 minutes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 220°C. Place capsicums and eggplant on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Roast for 40 minutes or until tender and skins have blackened slightly. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to cool. Remove and discard eggplant skin and capsicum skin and seeds, and roughly chop.

Process eggplant, capsicums and garlic in a food processor until smooth. With the motor running, gradually add lemon juice and olive oil until mixture is thick and creamy. Transfer to a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and stir in most of the parsley, reserving a little to serve. Serve with pork and beef sausages (cevapcici).

Note

• Will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

As seen in Feast magazine, Feb 2012, Issue 6. For more recipes and articles, pick up a copy of this month's Feast magazine or check out our great subscriptions offers here.

Photography by Janyon.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.