Ајвар е подобар од кечап, рецепта

Ajvar is better than ketchup, а recipe

The food in Macedonia is generally fantastic. There are an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables all locally grown and available at a reasonable price, which is one reason why the traditional Macedonian dishes are so delicious. However, the popularity of salami, canned meat, and liberal use of ketchup perplexes me.

Pizza, here, even in nice restaurants doesn't have pizza sauce. It has ketchup, which, while tomato-based, is not quite the same. Restaurants usually serve extra ketchup on the side, too, just in case what is slathered under the cheese isn't enough.

Just as there is no pizza sauce, there isn't really pasta sauce either. In restaurants that serve pasta, they may have a typical pasta sauce, but it is a different story in most homes. In one of our first few nights with our family in Veles, they asked if we liked spaghetti. We said yes. They served spaghetti for dinner. A pot of naked spaghetti noodles was placed on the table before us, alongside a bottle of ketchup and a jar of mayonnaise. We tried not to let any confusion register on our faces as we watched our hosts glob mayo and ketchup on their spaghetti. We just squirted a small amount of ketchup over our plates, and ate cautiously. At first, we thought our hosts were just doing something out of the ordinary from other Macedonians, but conversations with other PCVs showed us otherwise. Then, we noticed some grocery stores even package noodles and ketchup to be sold together, and we ate a similar meal at the home of another Macedonian family.

When we moved to our place in Delcevo and began to cook for ourselves again, we were struck with a brilliant idea. Remember that time we made ajvar? We accumulated several jars of this tasty, homemade, pepper spread from the kindness of our new families and friends. We realized we could use ajvar as a pizza and pasta sauce, and made two delicious dinners.

For the pizza, it was simple. I made a pizza crust using this recipe. I spread ajvar over the crust, and topped it with cheese, tomatoes, spinach, peppers, and onions. It was amazing.

To make ajvar pasta sauce, you need:
1 onion, diced
1 pepper, diced
oil
ajvar
vegetable broth
your choice of seasonings

Saute the onion and pepper in a bit of oil until tender. Add 5 to 6 tablespoons of ajvar. Stir in vegetable broth until you achieve your desired consistency. Season. Serve over your favorite pasta.

I seasoned with salt, pepper, dried thyme, and cumin, but I put cumin in everything because its delicious. I also stirred in a handful of fresh spinach leaves while the sauce was heating. You can add any veggies you may have, or leave it plain.

јади, јади.

-Andreya