Well-cooked meat and fine in itself, but accompanied by a sharp spicy seasoning it even more beautiful. Among such seasonings place of honor Abkhaz adjika. The popularity of this seasoning has led to the emergence of many new recipes, including adjika home, which serve as raw material for tomatoes.

Seasoning shepherds

Classical adjika made from red peppers mixed with garlic, salt and herbs. The story of this condiment is quite interesting. In the old days the sheep for better weight gain given salt. And the shepherds not to steal the scarce product, came up with the salt mixed with hot pepper. The measure proved ineffective: the shepherds gladly ate prepared so sharp seasoning, finding that it is suitable for fresh meat, even more than regular salt.

Abkhazian kitchen without adzhika unthinkable: this condiment accompanies almost all the dishes, of course, except for the desserts. Often it is prepared a proven method for centuries, rubbed with salt, pepper, garlic and herbs on a flat stone. The result is a mass resembling appearance of butter - is not accidental adjika sometimes called "Abkhazian oil." Taste a adzhika can not even compare with the taste of spices prepared by a grinder. Interestingly, the first of peppers used for adzhika slightly dried in the air, but in recent years the manufacture adzhika preference is increasingly given fresh pods.

Despite the fact that classical adjika usually red What color goes red: beware   (though there are orange and green varieties of seasoning), add tomatoes recipe Abkhazian shepherds did not provide. However, outside Abkhazia adjika is often prepared tomato-based. Such procurement is often called home adzhika, although this is not entirely correct.

The new version of the old dishes

Where did come from tomatoes in the recipe? It is believed that this tomato adjika - the invention of Russian housewives who tried to make the original recipe Abkhaz less hot. First, instead of hot peppers began to use the peppers, and then began to add in adjika tomatoes, carrots, apples, and other additives. Of course, the taste of seasoning has changed, but it is worth noting that many such tastes like it even more than the classic.

According to another version, the recipe home adzhika appeared when someone tried to recreate a popular seasoning, without presenting clear, from which it is necessary to prepare. Indeed, the color "adjika" with tomatoes is indistinguishable from the original Abkhaz seasoning. The only difference is in the taste.

Home adjika tomato has a mild flavor, nutty and spicy, but not too spicy. Her happy to eat not only strong in body and spirit man, but weak women, and sometimes (if you put a smaller hot pepper) - even children. This seasoning blends wonderfully with both meat and fish or poultry; it can help improve the taste of rice, potatoes and other side dishes. Finally, a mild "adjika" you can eat and just like that, with bread, as savory snacks Low calorie snacks , Stimulates the appetite.

In the classical formulation adzhika does not include any oil or vinegar, or any preservatives. Hot peppers and garlic contain high amounts of substances that kill bacteria, so this does not spoil adjika. Home adjika stored not as good as it pepper and garlic will not prevail. This means that the technology of preparation of the workpiece changes: just mix the ingredients together and grind enough, they should fry to blend better kept. Moreover, not do without the addition of a preservative. In the role of the last acts, usually vinegar.

Cooking

Preparation adzhika Adjika: passionate seasoning   according to the traditional recipe requires accuracy. It is best to protect your hands with gloves and do not tilt during a hot pepper is too low. So you can protect yourself from burns of the skin and mucous membranes. Hot pepper for home adzhika also be handled with gloves. The rest of the vegetables can be cut or rub on a grater, and without any protective measures.

What vegetables are used to prepare home adzhika? The basis of the blank are tomatoes, to which is added a sweet bell pepper, onion, carrot, a little hot pepper and garlic. Some recipes also include apples - usually sour varieties. Typically, all components of domestic adzhika finely cut or rubbed using a grater or food processor, then fried in vegetable oil and stew in their own juice. The longer the quenching, the smaller the vitamins is stored in the workpiece. On the other hand, the longer the vegetables are subjected to a heat treatment, especially a homogeneous mixture was obtained.

First in the hot vegetable oil, fry the onions and carrots, then add them to cut small pieces of tomatoes and peppers, a little later - chopped hot peppers, salt and sugar. Herbs in the home adjika added optional - usually preferred basilica or classical Georgian seasoning suneli hops.

At the end of quenching add vinegar to vegetables. The mixture should be given to simmer another minute, remove from heat and add the crushed garlic, hot workpiece. Sometimes garlic is recommended to add at the beginning of cooking, but it is completely pointless, because by the end of cooking garlic flavor will disappear completely. If you put the garlic for a minute before the end of the quenching or a minute after its completion, the seasoning will turn out moderately spicy and fragrant.

Thus prepared adjika laid in dry sterilized jars and roll. Properly done the workpiece can be stored all winter.

Maria Bykov

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