Hello, September, it’s Adjika time! Although adjika [a’dʒika] is not a traditional Moldovan sauce, you will find it in my family´s kitchen all the time. I remember how each year, between August and September, when flat pimento peppers, bell peppers and tomatoes invaded the local markets, my parents made adjika for wintertime. The house filled with garlic and pepper flavors.
We like to spread the sauce on bread and add a piece of fresh pork lard from my grandmother´s kitchen, or use the sauce in stewed beans, in colțunași, in meat marinades or add it to the roasted lamb.
AuthorNata AlbotCategoryPickles and preserves, VegetarianDifficultyBeginnerThe best way of preparing this flavorful salsa borrowed from Georgian cuisine is to use vegetables from your own garden – fragrant and fresh. Wash the vegetables and prepare them to be minced. Choose oblong, not too juicy tomatoes and cut them into quarters. Wash the peppers, deseed, and slice them. Do the same with the flat pimento peppers.
Deseed the chilies, avoiding any skin contact. Use only red colored vegetables, to give the sauce an intense red hue. Clean and wash the garlic.
Once you have prepared all the vegetables, pass them through the mincer. You can also use the food processor. In that way, you will obtain a more homogeneous paste. That is why my mother prefers to use the mincer, to better preserve the texture of the vegetables.
Pour the salsa in a pan. Season with salt and sugar, and let it ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days. Stir the salsa daily to remove the oxygen formed during fermentation. On the 3th day stir, add garlic and some chilies (depends on how spicy you want it). Pour the salsa into glass jars and seal hermetically with metal lids. Store the jars in the cellar or fridge.
Ingredients
Directions
Deseed the chilies, avoiding any skin contact. Use only red colored vegetables, to give the sauce an intense red hue. Clean and wash the garlic.
Once you have prepared all the vegetables, pass them through the mincer. You can also use the food processor. In that way, you will obtain a more homogeneous paste. That is why my mother prefers to use the mincer, to better preserve the texture of the vegetables.
Pour the salsa in a pan. Season with salt and sugar, and let it ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days. Stir the salsa daily to remove the oxygen formed during fermentation. On the 3th day stir, add garlic and some chilies (depends on how spicy you want it). Pour the salsa into glass jars and seal hermetically with metal lids. Store the jars in the cellar or fridge.