12 fresh red new mexican chiles
4 meduim eggplants
3/4 cup olive oil or corn oil
1 large onion, minced
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp red wine
1 salt/pepper to taste
1 parsley for garnish
Directions
Roast the peppers and eggplant over charcoal or gas flame, or bake
in a preheated oven at 475 deg. F until the skins are blistered and
black. Place the roasted vegetables in a paper bag and let them steam
in their own heat for 10 minutes. Peel off and discard the burnt
skins along with the stems and seeds. Mash the pepper and eggplant
pulp together to form a homogeneous mass, either smooth or slightly
chunky, as desired.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet and saute the onion until
very soft. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes lomger. Remove from heat
and stir in the pepper-eggplant pulp, mixing well. Slowly drizzle
remaining oil into the mixture, stirring constantly to incorporate
all the oil. Add lemon juice and vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.
Serve as an appetizer spread on thick slices of country-style white
bread, or flat pita bread, or use as a side dish to accompany grilled
or roasted meats.
Source: Chile Pepper
Servings: 6 servings
Ajvar (Roasted Peppers & Eggplant) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Eggplant; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
Academics have proved the existance of recipes back into ancient history, at least as far into history as early Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that is, sadly, these ancient recipes were just very basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing food.
Fascinatingly, the oldest recipe in existence, according to academics are some tablets in Sumerian which show the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who tried it feel exhilarated and blissful. During the time of the Roman Empire a man called Apicius created some scripts detailing recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, he describes how the meals were separated into starters, main course and desserts, a very modern way of dining. Additionally, he describes how the chefs of Roman times used a wide range of herbs and spices, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens such as basil, rue and asafoetida. In the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many foods and herbs from Arab countries, including spices like coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. These new foods and tastes was responsible for a torrent in recipe books, most of which are now in private libraries. Over the following few hundred years, the upper-class families of Europe competed to offer the most extravagent meals, and as a consequence, the best chefs and their collection of recipes were much in demand. However, it was during the nineteenth century that cookery and recipe books became really popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to assembling, verifying, and recording the recipes that were being prepared for the better households. By the arrival of the 20th century, cooking books are in great demand, mostly as a result of more people being able to read, people having increased free time and having more disposable income. |
We hope you enjoy this Ajvar (Roasted Peppers & Eggplant) recipe.
