Bulgarian Sweet Pepper & Tomato Spread
Ljutenitsa is the most popular Bulgarian relish. Traditionally consumed like a spread, it can also be served as a dip or garnish. Ljutenitsa compliments beautifully grilled and cooked meats and vegetables. It is often presented as a part of a mezze. The relish is a perfect vegan-friendly and, Gluten-free treat.
Equipment
- 1 Canning pot
- 5 250ml relish jars with lids
Ingredients
- 3 kg sweet tomatoes
- 4 kg sweet red peppers
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 80 ml olive oil
- 1 bunch parsley finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dehydrated onions
Instructions
- Wash and remove the green parts and the seeds from the peppers. Chargrill them on the barbeque until they are soft and their skin is blistering and breaking. Alternatively, roast the peppers in the oven: Preheat the oven to 200℃/392°F. Roast the peppers for 30 minutes or until they are soft and their skin is blistering and breaking.Transfer the grilled or roasted peppers straight from the barbeque/oven to a large bowl with a lid. Leave them covered for 15 minutes for their skin to loosen up. Peel the skin from the peppers with a sharp knife. Keep a bowl of water close and rinse your hands in water regularly to remove sticky pieces of skin.Process the peppers coarsely in a food processor or with a vegetable grinder.
- Peel and blanch the tomatoes for 5 minutes. Then puree the tomatoes. You can do that by pressing the blanched tomatoes with a potato masher or processing them with a food processor or a vegetable grinder. Press the tomatoes through a muslin cloth to remove the seeds.
- Wash the parsley and remove thick stalks. Chop the parsley finely. Mince the garlic in a garlic press.Transfer the minced peppers to a sieve and collect their juices in a bowl. Do the same with the tomatoes next. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and reserve the juice.
- Heat oil in a heavy-based shallow pan. Add the minced garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add the pureed tomatoes and bring them to the boil. When the tomatoes start boiling, add the minced peppers.Reduce the heat to low. Cook the lutenitsa until it is reduced to 1/3 of the initial amount. This will take around 30 minutes or longer, depending on your hob and the amount of liquid in the mixture. Taste the relish. If still crunchy, continue cooking. If the mixture is overly dry, add 50 g butter and some of the juice from the tomatoes and the peppers, which you reserved. When the relish is almost ready, add salt, sugar, pepper and ground cumin. Taste the lutenitsa to make sure it does not need extra seasoning. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add a tablespoon of dehydrated onion to the mixture and stir to mix all ingredients well.
- Spoon the mixture into sterilised jars. Leave 1 inch (3cm) headspace and hand-tighten the lids. Keep the jars in the fridge and consume the relish within 1-2 weeks. Alternatively, hermetically process the jars with ljutenitsa to preserve them for longer. Canned lutenista will be good to keep for one year.