Midzin Ajvar Old recipe

Updated: Sep 20

##Katarina Popović Midžina: The Pioneer of Quick and Fasting-Friendly Ajvar

In the Serbian cultural and culinary tradition, there are few women who left such a strong mark as Katarina Popović Midžina (1828–1902), the author of the famous “Great Serbian Cook” from 1878. She came from the distinguished Novi Sad Petrović family, known by the nickname Purgermajstorova, and after her marriage to Dimitrije Popović, the son of Konstantin Popović Komoraš, everyone in Novi Sad knew her as Midžina. Katarina's ajvar was designed in such a way that it can be prepared even during fasting, in oil, so it was and remains a favorite choice of fasting believers.
Interestingly, this ajvar is much faster to prepare than modern methods that involve hours of cooking and sterilization. While the preparation of modern ajvar often takes up to 6–8 hours, the ajvar according to Midžina's recipe is ready in about 1-1.5 hours, which makes it practical for quick preparation and immediate consumption. Follow recipe.

Ingredients: simple, total time:

Preparation:

Put the eggplants on a high heat to bake, or on a hot plate lined with aluminum foil.
For each eggplant, roast 4 bell peppers on the hearth plate or stove.
When the peppers are roasted, put them in cold water, and carefully peel the eggplants - preferably with a small spoon, so that not even the smallest skin remains.
Remove the upper skin from the peppers and place them together with the eggplants in a wooden bowl in which the garlic has been previously pounded.
Mash everything well with a wooden pestle until it becomes a fine and uniform mass.
Add grated onion, salt to taste, a little vinegar and 3 tablespoons of oil. Mix well.
Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl, pour a little more oil on top, and serve.
Ajvar prepared in this way can be stored in the refrigerator for several days, and thanks to its quick preparation and taste, it is also excellent for fasting days in oil.