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For a good housewife, the quality of the prepared sauces and seasonings is sometimes no less important than the main dishes. After all, with their help you can add variety to the most modest menu. And if the sauce is prepared from fresh vegetables and herbs without heat treatment, then all the beneficial substances are preserved in it. And this is extremely important in winter and early spring, when there are fewer and fewer vitamins in preparations. Apparently, for this reason, different types of adjika are very popular. And adjika "Ogonyok", the recipes of which you can find in the article, are prepared most often without cooking. Although it should only be stored in the refrigerator or cellar. In rare cases, the shelf life is limited to only a month or two.
History of the dish and its varieties
Initially, adjika is a native Caucasian dish and is translated from the local language as “spicy salt.” There is a legend that salt was given to shepherds for their animals, so that when they had eaten it, they would eat the grass more willingly and gain weight more actively. And since in ancient times salt was a precious product, so that people would not steal it, hot pepper was added to it. But this did not bother the shepherds at all; they added a lot of herbs to the hot salt and gladly used it for food.Thus, adjika was born, which at first was an exclusively dry mixture of spices and salt.
But for the Russian taste, apparently, this seasoning turned out to be somewhat spicy and resourceful housewives came up with many varieties of it using common vegetables and spices.
Most often in Russian adjika recipes, tomatoes and sweet peppers are used in large quantities.
Well, the most traditional, original Russian component of adjika is horseradish. It is the combination of horseradish, hot peppers, tomatoes and garlic that is most characteristic of the traditional Russian adjika “Ogonyok”. However, this sauce has many varieties and many of them allow you to prepare adjika “Ogonyok” without heat treatment while preserving all the beneficial properties of its components.
Recipe for adjika “Ogonyok” with fermentation
To prepare adjika “Ogonyok” according to this recipe you will need:
- Tomatoes – 1 kg;
- Sweet bell red pepper – 1 kg;
- Chili pepper – 0.3 kg;
- Garlic – 10 heads;
- Salt – 1 tablespoon.
All vegetables must be thoroughly washed so that no contaminants remain - after all, they will not boil.
The garlic is peeled from all the husks so that smooth white cloves remain. In a tomato, the place where the fruit is attached is cut out. And from peppers, all seeds with leaves and tails are removed. Then all the vegetables are cut into pieces that easily fit into a meat grinder.
All components are ground through a meat grinder, salt is added to adjika and its quantity is adjusted to taste. Everything is thoroughly mixed. Next, comes the most important stage in preparing adjika without cooking. It must ferment.To do this, leave it at room temperature for several days. At the same time, do not forget to stir it 2-3 times a day so that gases escape more easily. The container should be covered with gauze to prevent midges and other insects from getting inside.
Only after the adjika has finished fermenting, when gases stop coming out of it, can it be placed in jars. The jars must be rinsed well and sterilized along with the lids.
The specified amount of ingredients should yield about 5 half-liter jars of adjika. You need to store the finished adjika in the refrigerator or in the cellar.
Adjika with horseradish
This version of Russian adjika “Ogonyok” will appeal to all horseradish lovers.
Prepare the following vegetables, paying attention to their quality. Since adjika is prepared without cooking, all components included in it must be clean and fresh.
- Tomatoes (already chopped and even twisted) - 1 kg or 1 liter. Typically, you will need about 1.2-1.4 fresh tomatoes for this.
- Garlic, peeled – 50 grams;
- Hot pepper – 1/2 pod;
- Peeled horseradish – 100 grams;
- Salt - to taste, about 2 teaspoons.
Pass all prepared vegetables through a meat grinder, add salt and mix thoroughly.
Adjika with horseradish is ready. In this form, it can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 1-2 months. To extend shelf life, add 1 teaspoon of 9% vinegar or juice from half a lemon to the vegetable mixture.
Adjika “Ogonyok”, very tasty recipe
This adjika has a rather rich composition, which makes it very tasty.In practice, it is no longer a sauce, but an independent snack. To prepare, take the following ingredients:
- Tomatoes – 2 kg;
- Sweet pepper – 1 kg;
- Hot pepper – 300 grams;
- Greens (parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, celery) - about 250 grams;
- Garlic – 200 grams;
- Horseradish root – 500 grams;
- Table salt and granulated sugar - 4 tablespoons each;
- Vinegar 9% - 1 tablespoon.
As in other recipes, carefully sort the vegetables and herbs, rinse and lightly dry. Then remove all unnecessary parts, and grind the remaining vegetables and herbs through a meat grinder. Finally add sugar, salt and vinegar. Mix everything well again. Place the resulting adjika into sterile jars and store everything in the refrigerator or other cold and dark place.
Any of the above recipes allows you to get a tasty and healthy sauce that can remind you of the spicy aroma of hot summer in the cold season and improve the taste of prepared dishes.
