The best recipes for making traditional Georgian adjika for the winter, with tomatoes, carrots, and apples.

Georgian cuisine is so unique that it's impossible to confuse it with any other. Each dish has a captivating flavor: moderately spicy and slightly sweet. Many people believe that replicating this national delicacy is difficult. But that's not entirely true! For example, you can prepare Georgian adjika for the winter and add it to other dishes throughout the year.

Some important points

When preparing a culinary masterpiece, a chef must learn its specific characteristics. Regarding Georgian adjika, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Some ingredients in this dish are very hot. Handling them can cause burns. Therefore, it is recommended to use gloves when preparing them.
• Adjika is stored in sterilized jars. Before transferring the product to a container, place it in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
• The jar must be tightly closed with a lid to create a hermetically sealed environment.
• The preparation contains a large amount of essential oils. Therefore, it is not recommended for people with gastrointestinal disorders.

When creating this seasoning, as when preparing any other dish, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the proportions of each ingredient.

Selecting and preparing the main ingredients

To prepare adjika you will need several basic ingredients:

1. The base is hot pepper. If you want a moderately spicy dish, use only the flesh. For a fiery kick, use the whole pepper, including the seeds and membranes. Before cooking, chop and dry the pepper.
2. Making Georgian adjika is impossible without spices. For half a kilogram of pepper, you'll need 4 heads of garlic, 200 grams each of parsley and cilantro, 50 grams of khmeli-suneli, 25 grams of coriander seeds, and 3 tablespoons of salt.
3. Another ingredient for this preparation is walnuts. Grind 100 grams of these nuts through a meat grinder along with the garlic.

Of course, to prepare the preparation you should prepare sterile glass jars with lids.

Methods for preparing Georgian adjika for the winter

Adjika can be prepared in two ways: with or without heat treatment. Recipes may also differ in the ingredients they contain.

A quick recipe without heat treatment

To make this no-cook dressing, you'll need only fresh spices, which impart a captivating aroma. This quick and easy recipe consists of just three basic steps:

1. chopping peppers, parsley or cilantro in a blender;
2. mincing garlic, walnuts and coriander seeds;
3. combining all the ingredients, adding salt and hops-suneli.

The prepared dish must be thoroughly mixed for 5-10 minutes.

Traditional recipe

Authentic Georgian adjika requires heat treatment to ensure the dressing is soft and juicy. To prepare it, you'll need:

1. Pour boiling water over the chopped peppers and leave the vegetables to infuse for 2-3 hours;
2. strain the liquid, squeeze the pepper to remove any remaining water;
3. process the main component with a blender;
4. add spices, chopped herbs, walnuts, mix thoroughly;
5. reprocess all ingredients with a blender.

While soaking, the peppers may float to the surface of the water. To prevent this, it's recommended to weigh them down with a small weight.

In Russian

It's worth noting that the Russian adjika recipe has nothing to do with Georgia. It's a modified version of the real condiment, with a richer flavor and less spiciness. The preparation is as follows:

1. The main ingredient is 1 kg of tomatoes. Grind them in an electric meat grinder to obtain 1 liter of vegetable juice.
2. Separately, one glass (150-200 ml) of peeled garlic cloves should be processed in a meat grinder.
3. You need to mix tomato sauce with chopped garlic, adding 1-2 tablespoons of salt to this mixture.

The finished adjika needs to be left to steep for 2-4 hours, stirring it periodically.

From tomatoes and garlic

Another version of adjika is made with tomatoes and garlic. This dish will be spicier and more piquant, so it can be used instead of the classic Georgian dressing. To prepare it, you'll need:

1. process 5 kilograms of sweet peppers and tomatoes in a meat grinder;
2. Separately chop 500 grams of garlic and add to the resulting vegetable sauce;
3. add 1 tablespoon of 9% vinegar to the main mass, add salt to taste;
4. Stir the contents periodically for 2-4 hours.

If you want to increase the spiciness of the preparation, then along with the rest of the vegetables, you need to mince 3 chili pods.

With carrots and apples

In winter, it's recommended to add carrot and apple adjika to meat or a side dish. This is because these foods are high in vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system. To prepare this dish, you will need:

1. Peel and finely chop 500 grams of sweet and sour apples, 1.5 kilograms of tomatoes, 500 grams of sweet peppers and 500 grams of carrots;
2. Place all ingredients in a deep container, add a small amount of water and simmer until softened;
3. add 1 medium head of garlic, crushed in a blender;
4. pour in 0.5 l of oil;
5. continue to cook the entire contents over low heat for another 5 minutes.

The fragrant and juicy adjika is almost ready. All that's left is to let it steep for 2 hours.

From hot pepper

Authentic Georgian adjika should be piquant. Therefore, it's recommended to use hot peppers. The ingredients and preparation method are the same as for classic adjika.

But the proportions of the ingredients are slightly different. For half a kilogram of hot pepper, you'll need 1 large head of garlic, 2 packages of khmeli-suneli seasoning, 1 package each of dried cilantro and coriander seeds, 7 walnuts, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 3% vinegar.

How and how long is the preparation stored?

Homemade adjika can be stored in a glass container with a tightly sealed lid. The refrigerator is ideal. If there are no free shelves in the refrigerator, any dry, cool place can be used as an alternative. Its maximum shelf life is 6 months.

Lovers of Georgian cuisine don't necessarily need to visit this magnificent country or its restaurants. Simply create adjika from seasonal vegetables, which can be added to any dish all winter long, adding a touch of Georgian flavor to each one.