As promised here is a simple recipe for making ajvar, the traditional red pepper and eggplant dip served with cevapi, Bosnian (Serbian/Croatian) grilled sausage. It’s naturally vegan and gluten free so it’s something that can be eaten on sandwiches, with chips. It’s easy to make as long as you have access to some type of grill or grill pan. I cooked mine in batches on a George Foreman.

Cook Time: 60 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
3 red bell peppers
1 eggplant
1 t olive oil
1 t cayenne pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Method:
Heat grill or grill pan to medium. If using a Foreman, just turn it on for a minute. In the meantime, core and slice the bell peppers lengthwise in half. Chop the top and bottom off the eggplant. Now slice it lengthwise into 3 pieces, then halve those pieces. Add eggplant pieces to grill and cover. Let it cook on each side for about 10 minutes. Flip as needed. The color will darken and skin pieces will get charred. Once charred, remove from grill. Next, add bell pepper and cook each side for 15 minutes. It’s done when is slightly blackened.

Scoop the cooked eggplant pulp into a blender. Add in the bell pepper, oil, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne and ¼ cup water. Cover and blend until there are no visible chunks. Ajvar is versatile. Serve it as a dip for chips, on sandwiches or served with grilled sausage or kielbasy.