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1
Preheat the broiler. Place washed peppers and the eggplant on a baking sheet and roast, turning occasionally, until their skins blister and turn black (and I mean black, not just charred). Make sure to roast all sides and the tops and bottoms. (If you own grill, or can burn fires in your backyard, definitely go for it. Your ajvar will be even better.)
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2
Place the roasted vegetables in a bowl. Cover and let the vegetables cool. This will allow the flesh to separate from the skin.
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3
Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them with your fingers carefully and remove seeds. (Keep a large bowl of water to rinse your hands as you peel the peppers. Do not rinse the peppers, it will also rinse the flavor away!)
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4
Using a tablespoon or an ice-cream scoop, remove the pulp of the eggplant. Discard the seeds and the skin.
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5
Using a meat grinder, grind the vegetables coarsely. (Ajvars can vary in their chunkiness, and you can also chop the vegetables by hand, or grind them into a smoother pure. Try to avoid over-processing)
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6
Transfer the mush into a large pot. Add the smashed garlic, oil, and season with salt. Place the pot over low heat and simmer for about an hour (or longer for larger quantities), until the liquids are gone and the mush is reduced into a thick spread. Long simmer is how all the flavors come together, so do not cut corners.
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7
Let the spread cool and let it rest for a day before eating. Store in a glass jars, covered in the fridge for about a week. (Ajvar also freezes beautifully.)
