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Among homemade preparations for the winter, adjika has a separate and honorable place. There are so many cooking options that it takes a lot of time just to read the recipes. Starting with the classic one and adding original ingredients, the housewives developed a recipe for adjika “You'll lick your fingers.”
The main characteristics for which everyone loves adjika can be divided into a separate group:
- aroma;
- piquancy;
- rich in vitamins and nutrients;
- original taste;
- beautiful colour;
- multivariate.
They use adjika “You'll lick your fingers” as a sauce, seasoning, and even as an independent dish, instead of caviar. You can easily spread it on a fragrant piece of bread and enjoy the taste of your favorite vegetables on a winter evening.
In addition, the slightly pungent taste gives adjika “Finger-licking goodness” a warming quality, which is very important during the cold season. Also, this preparation option is perfect for any side dish and meat dishes.
Ingredients for cooking
The main ingredients of the finger-licking adjika are, of course, vegetables and spices. They contain a colossal amount of nutrients, vitamins and energy. Preparing adjika is not difficult. Use it as a regular dish or as a preparation.
For the classic version we will need:
- tomatoes in the amount of 2.5 kilograms;
- carrots, enough to take 0.5 kg;
- bell pepper, preferably red, also 0.5 kg;
- onions in the amount of 300 grams;
- hot red pepper - take 3 medium-sized peppers;
- peeled garlic 400 grams;
- vegetable oil - glass (250 ml);
- sugar 1 glass;
- salt - a quarter glass;
- vinegar 250 milliliters (6%).
All ingredients are available and inexpensive. Many housewives grow them on their plots, so adjika - a very budget option.
Naturally, you don’t have to be attached to the color of the products. If you have green bell peppers, feel free to use them. This will not affect the taste of adjika at all. Maybe the color will be slightly muted, but this is also individual.
Cooking process
Each component must be properly prepared before preparing adjika. This is necessary so that the winter preparation is homogeneous, tasty and aromatic.
- Tomatoes. For adjika it is best to use cream. They are meatier than ordinary round varieties, and at the same time, the cream’s pulp is tender and dense. Sort, wash, dry slightly, cut into quarters (if large) or halves (small). Pass through a meat grinder.
- Pepper. If you like spicy, finger-licking adjika, then take the Ratunda variety. It has a hotter taste than other peppers. The fleshiness of Ratunda’s walls is high, so adjika will be juicier. Wash the peppers, remove seeds, cut into strips and grind in a meat grinder.
- Carrot. Take tender and sweet varieties. This will add piquancy to the taste. The combination of spiciness and sugar, which emphasizes the hotness of the pepper, will enrich the preparation with a variety of flavors.Wash and peel the root vegetables, cut into cubes and pass through a meat grinder.
- Bulb onions. Here you decide which variety is better. You can even take a sweet one, but the regular table variety for adjika “You’ll lick your fingers” is better suited. Clean the heads, and then there are two options - grate them on a fine grater or use a meat grinder. The choice is yours.
- Hot pepper and garlic. Take a medium-sized pepper, meaty and juicy. The garlic is large, mature, without damage. It is better to grind the components so that the adjika consistency is uniform. When peeling hot peppers, wear kitchen gloves to avoid accidentally touching your face, especially your eyes. The seeds do not need to be removed, but rather ground together with the pulp. Then the mixture will be more hot.
Combine the prepared vegetables and mix well. Adjika “Finger-licking goodness” takes several hours to prepare for the winter, so take a thick-walled dish or cauldron. This will protect the vitamin preparation from burning. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring the contents of the pan regularly. Then add sugar and salt in the specified amount, vegetable oil, and vinegar to the mass. Continue cooking adjika for an hour. A good indicator of correct preparation will be the fact that during this time adjika will boil down by 1.5 times for the winter.
We continue to prepare the sauce for another 1.5 hours, then add the garlic, bring to a boil and put into jars, which must first be sterilized and dried.
The preparation for the winter must be placed in jars while hot, then rolled up, the jars turned over and wrapped. Leave it like this until it cools completely.
Some Recipe Suggestions
If you don’t have 6% vinegar, then you can take 9% in the same amount.This will not affect the taste of the seasoning. Garlic adds an amazing aroma, but if your family doesn’t really like it, reduce the dose. Some housewives cook the sauce without garlic; such recipes are also very popular. But with garlic, adjika wins. Worth a try.
When choosing ingredients for seasoning for the winter, you should listen to the wishes of your family and friends. If you need a spicy snack, take more garlic, hot pepper (chili), if you like a milder taste, increase the amount of tomatoes and carrots.
Options for preparing the winter table
Housewives never stop at one recipe for long. They constantly share their finds or creative inventions. Almost all recipes contain identical components, only with small additions. The most popular varieties of finger-licking adjika for the winter are those containing the addition of:
- Apples. Lovers take sour or sweet-sour varieties. They give the seasoning a unique flavor, but sweet ones are not suitable for cooking. Among apple varieties, it is recommended to give preference to “Antonovka” or other green varieties. By the way, the classic “eastern adjika” is prepared without apples and even without tomatoes. But in other regions they like to pamper themselves with different ingredients. To prepare the sauce, take the same amount of tomatoes and apples.
- Kabachkov. Young tender zucchini is often used when cooking adjika. They give the dish a unique taste, are very affordable and healthy. The composition of the components is left the same as in the classic version, only 3 kg of zucchini is added. Vegetables should be taken young so as not to cut off the skin and remove the seeds. During the cooking process, they are cut into strips and passed through a meat grinder.Add to the total mass and cook adjika with zucchini according to the usual recipe.
- Combination with apples and zucchini. A very popular version of the finger-licking sauce for the winter. The components are accessible, easy to process, and fit perfectly.
Among my favorite adjika recipes, one should highlight the preparation without cooking. In this case, all components are ground, mixed and placed in prepared sterilized jars. Cover this adjika-sauce “You'll lick your fingers” for the winter under nylon lids. Store the product in the refrigerator. There is no need to be afraid that adjika will not survive. It is so tasty that it will go away in a very short time.
Try any options, invent your own and enrich your winter stockpile.
