Ljutenica Vegetable Spread
Spicy vegetable spread!
Course
Brekfast
,
Condiment
,
Sauce
Cuisine
Balkan
,
Serbian
Keyword
Ljutenica
Servings
Prep Time
2
liters
30
min
Cook Time
3
hours
Servings
Prep Time
2
liters
30
min
Cook Time
3
hours
Ingredients
5
kg
ripe tomatoes
200
ml
vegetable oil
150
ml
wine vinegar
or apple vinegar
150
g
granulated sugar
2
tbsp
sea salt
300
g
hot peppers
washed
2
tsp
dry basil
Instructions
Wash tomatoes and with sharp knife make cross like 5 cm (2″) incision on top of each tomato.
Fill large pot with cold water, set aside.
Fill medium size pot with water and over high heat bring to boil, set aside.
Gently lower several tomatoes at the time into boiling water and keep for 1 minute.
Use kitchen skimmer to remove hot tomatoes and put them into a pot with cold water. Let them cool off for 2-3 minutes.
Remove each cooled tomato and peel off the skin.
Cut the tomato in half and remove hard stem end part, cut tomato into small slices. Repeat the same procedure with the rest of tomatoes.
Into large pot add vegetable oil, wine vinegar, sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Over medium heat (5 out of 10) bring to boil.
Add cut tomatoes to the pot, Reduce heat to medium low (3 out of 10) and simmer with lid off for about 1.5 hour, stir occasionally.
Stir in salt and simmer for about another 1.5 hour or until the oil start appearing on the surface, stir sporadically.
In the heated oven sterilize clean jars and lids.
In a medium skillet over high heat lightly brown whole hot peppers.
Stir hot peppers into tomato sauce and cook for another 10 minutes.
Add basil to the sauce and stir until incorporated.
Fill the sauce into prepared sterilized jars. Cover the jars with thick blanket and leave overnight to cool off.
Keep jars in a cool and dark place.