For any housewife, especially a beginner, preparing adjika is a kind of test of skill. After all, adjika, due to its pungency, is considered a sauce for the stronger half of humanity. And if your preparation is to the taste of the men in your family, then you need to save the recipe, and then experiment with it ad infinitum, ensuring that the taste of adjika becomes universal and is liked by everyone without exception.
Although adjika is considered a native Caucasian seasoning, this article will focus on a dish with unusual ingredients. Indeed, in Russia it is customary to call adjika any spicy seasoning made from chopped vegetables and herbs. And adjika made from beets for the winter can decorate both your holiday table and serve as an indispensable seasoning for the everyday menu.
Caucasian recipe
Paying tribute to tradition, try first preparing adjika from beets according to a traditional Caucasian recipe, which is a bit reminiscent of a beetroot salad often used on holiday tables.
For it you will need:
- Medium-sized beets - 2 pieces;
- Garlic – 2 cloves;
- Walnuts – 150 grams;
- Cilantro – 50 grams;
- Hot pepper – 1 pod;
- Ground black pepper – 5 g;
- Cumin (Zira) – 5 g;
- Balsamic vinegar – 50 ml;
- Rock salt - 60 grams.
The beets are washed, peeled with a vegetable peeler and grated. The cilantro is washed and finely chopped. The garlic is peeled and chopped.Hot peppers are freed from tails and seeds and finely chopped.
Walnuts are cracked and crushed.
To begin with, the beets must be simmered in a frying pan with the addition of a spoonful of water and vegetable oil, as well as salt, cumin and black pepper for 25 minutes.
Stir well, cool and grind everything through a meat grinder or grind with a blender.
All ground components are reheated, brought to a boil and heated for another 10 minutes. After that, balsamic vinegar is added to the almost finished adjika, everything is brought to a boil again and, while still hot, is placed in sterilized jars. After rolling, the adjika should be placed in a cool and dark place.
Russian recipe
Since this recipe was invented in Russia, its traditional use is as a dressing for borscht. However, since beet adjika turns out to be incredibly tasty and beautiful, it is quite suitable for a festive table.
What will you need?
- Beetroot – 2 kg;
- Tomatoes – 2 kg;
- Sweet bell pepper – 0.5 kg;
- Garlic – 1 head;
- Carrots – 0.5 kg;
- Hot pepper – 2 pods;
- Herbs to your taste – 100 grams;
- Salt – 60 grams;
- Vinegar – 3 tbsp. spoons;
- Refined vegetable oil – 4 tablespoons;
- Granulated sugar – 60 grams;
- Curry – 1 teaspoon.
First, vegetables and herbs are washed and cleared of all excess. Then they are cut into pieces so that they can be conveniently passed through a meat grinder. At the next stage, the process of grinding all components using a meat grinder is carried out.
First, oil is poured into a thick-walled pan and brought to a superheated state, when barely noticeable smoke begins to rise from it. The chopped beets are fried first in a pan for about 30 minutes. Then tomatoes and carrots are placed in the pan and they all boil together for another 20 minutes.
At the next step, sweet pepper is added, and the entire vegetable mass is heated for 10 minutes. Finally, hot pepper, garlic and herbs are added to the adjika. Everything is heated for another 15 minutes. At the very end, put salt, sugar, spices into the pan and pour in the required amount of vinegar. After the adjika boils again, it can be placed in sterile jars and rolled up.
Adjika with beets prepared according to this recipe can be stored even in an ordinary room, but preferably without light, for example, in a kitchen cabinet.
Adjika with apples
This adjika, despite its rather rich composition, is incredibly simple to prepare, so it’s definitely worth trying. All main ingredients are taken in the same composition and quantity as for the previous recipe. But instead of vinegar here you will use about one kilogram of sour apples. For spices, add 1 teaspoon of coriander to the same amount of vegetables, and take more sugar - 150 grams.
All prepared vegetables are twisted through a meat grinder, placed in a saucepan, the vegetable mass with apples is brought to a boil and simmered over low heat for about one hour with occasional stirring. At the end of cooking and stewing, butter, salt, sugar and spices are added. A tasty and very healthy seasoning – the appetizer is ready.
Be sure to try making adjika from beets according to one of the above recipes, and as a result, not only your family, but also the guests at the festive table will be pleasantly surprised.
