Name: Homemade Adjika
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 30
Cuisine: Caucasian cuisine
Ingredients: 5 kg tomatoes; 1 kg onion; 1 kg apples; 2 kg bell peppers; 1 kg carrots; 300 gm garlic; 300 gm shelled walnuts; 3-4 hot pepper pods; 4 tas sugar; 0.5 lt vegetable oil; 3 tas salt

This homemade adjika isn’t a fiery raw paste but a cooked vegetable preserve of tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, apples, and walnuts. Adjika is a Caucasian (Georgian-Abkhaz) condiment, and this is its “mild” incarnation: an all-purpose sauce for meat, poultry, and potatoes, or a simple spread for bread. You dial the heat up or down by the number of hot pepper pods.

Walnuts are the unexpected but essential player: they thicken the sauce and lend the buttery richness typical of Caucasian cooking, while the apples add a tartness that keeps the heat in check.

Why the long simmer

Everything, walnuts included, goes through a meat grinder for a smooth consistency. The simmer of up to an hour and a half lets the mixture thicken and drive off excess moisture; undercooked adjika keeps poorly. Stir often, because a thick mass scorches easily on the bottom. This makes a big batch (over 5 kg / 11 lb of tomatoes alone), so pack it boiling into sterilized jars and seal immediately.

Part of Caucasian cuisine — 10 more recipes in the section.