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Pesto is to Italians as Adjika is to Slavic people. What is Adjika (adzhika in English)? It’s like a semi-spicy salsa, similar to Italian Red Pesto. It’s used to flavor food. I like to spread it over pork. I recently discovered adjika is awesome with fajitas and tacos!
This is a canning recipe. This makes 7 (1 pint) jars of adjika. i.e. 14 cups. It’s not hard to make, considering all of the ingredients are just whirled in a food processor and you don’t have to seed the jalapenos – SCORE!
Ingredients for Mom’s version of Adjika:
1 lb (about 2 large) Carrots, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
1 lb (about 5 medium) Apples, peeled and cored
1 lb (3-4 large) Bell peppers – Red or Yellow, chopped into 1″ pieces
5 lbs (about 10 cups) ripe tomatoes, sliced into quarters
1 cup oil (olive, canola or vegetable oil)
150 grams (2/3 cup or about 24) large garlic cloves
150 grams (2/3 cup or about 14 medium) jalapenos, stems removed (If you like your odjika spicy, use a few more jalapenos)
2 Tbsp Salt
Home Canning Tools:
- 7 pint-sized jars with lids. I purchased them at Walmart.
- Large Stock Pot (20Qt+) with Rack (or purchase a canner)
- Jar lifter to safely transfer the jars
How to make Mom’s Adjika:
1. Using a food processor: Mince carrots and put them in a large soup pot.
Mince apples and add them to the pot
Mince bell peppers and add them to the pot
Mince tomatoes and add them to the pot.
2. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, stir and bring to a boil again and repeat a few more times until the mixture is heated through and boiling consistently when stirred. The mixture is very thick so it takes a few stirs to heat it through.
3. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.
4. Mince the garlic and jalapeños together in the food processor.
5. Add Oil, Salt, Garlic and Jalapeños to the pot and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.
6. Prepare the cans (see canning process).
Canning Process:
1. To sterilize your clean jars: wash them and let them dry in the oven at 215 for about 20 min or until completely dry. Boil the lids 5 min.
2. Transfer your boiling hot adjika to the jars using a glass measuring cup and a funnel (least messy method) leaving about 1/4″ space.
3. Screw the lids on enough to keep a tight seal in place but don’t over-tighten them since air bubbles need to be able to escape.
4. Place packed cans into the canning pot and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and process 15 minutes. Remove from the pot with jar lifter and leave at room temperature undisturbed for 12-24 hours. You may hear a pop when the jars fully seal. After 24 hours, check that the seal has formed by pushing down on the center of the lid – it should not move at all. If the seal does not form, refrigerate adjika and enjoy within 3 months.
Current Canning Guidelines:
We updated this recipe in 2019 to match the most recent canning guidelines here which recommend processing in water rather than the oven. It’s a great resource to answer frequently asked canning questions.
Mom’s Adjika Recipe – A Russians’ Pesto! (Аджика)
Ingredients
- 1 lb about 2 large Carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
- 1 lb about 5 medium Apples, peeled and cored
- 1 lb 3-4 large Bell peppers - chopped into 1" pieces
- 5 lbs about 10 cups ripe tomatoes, sliced into quarters
- 1 cup oil, olive, canola or vegetable oil
- 150 grams 2/3 cup or about 24 large garlic cloves
- 150 grams 2/3 cup or about 14 medium jalapenos, stems removed
- 2 Tbsp Salt
Instructions
- Using a food processor, mince carrots, apples, bell peppers, tomatoes and put them in a large soup pot.
- Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, stir and bring to a boil again and repeat a few more times until the mixture is heated through and boiling consistently when stirred. The mixture is very thick so it takes a few stirs to heat it through.
- Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.
- Mince the garlic and jalapenos together in the food processor.
- Add Oil, Salt, Garlic and Jalapenos to the pot and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.
- Prepare the cans.
Canning Process:
To sterilize your clean jars: wash them and let them dry in the oven at 215 for about 20 min or until completely dry. Boil the lids 5 min.
- Transfer your boiling hot adjika to the jars using a glass measuring cup and a funnel (least messy method) leaving about 1/4" space.
- Screw the lids on enough to keep a tight seal in place but don't over-tighten them since air bubbles need to be able to escape.
- Place packed cans into the canning pot and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and process 15 minutes. Remove from the pot with jar lifter and leave at room temperature undisturbed for 12-24 hours. You may hear a pop when the jars fully seal. After 24 hours, check that the seal has formed by pushing down on the center of the lid - it should not move at all. If the seal does not form, refrigerate adjika and enjoy within 3 months.
Filed Under
Signs of Spoiled Canned Food:
With any type of canning, we follow this advice: “When in doubt, throw it out”
Discard and do not eat or taste any canned food if you notice any of the following:
- the jar is leaking, bulging, or swollen
- the jar looks damaged, cracked, or abnormal
- the jar spurts foam or liquid upon opening
- the canned food is discolored, moldy, mushy, slimy, or smells bad
So I made this recipe about a month or so ago cause I had a lot of extra tomatoes I needed to use up. My mom never made it before so in not exactly sure what I can actually use it for? Can you recommend some recipes or dishes it is incorporated in or really any particular way I can eat it? I don’t want it all to just go to waste after taking the time to prepare it!!
Thank you ahead of time!! Your recipies really are fantastic (I plan most of my meals from your site :)) I just made the poppy seed cake roll last weekend and it was seriously bomb <—totally a middle school expression but it explains my feeling for it quite well!! 🙂 Now I'm off to making the pasta with creamy tomato sauce and the Chocolate Spartak cake!!
I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes :). As far as the adjika. It works really well in anything you’d want to put salsa in – breakfast burritos, on top of tacos, fajitas. You can also spread it over meats like pork to add great flavor.
Do you think I could make it using my Vitamix?
I remember that my mom added horse reddish root to her adjika. Will be calling her tomorrow for the recipe and then try to make a little bit of each.
I haven’t tried it with radish. Let me know how it works out. A vita mix should work fine.
Hi, Natasha! Just a quick question… May I add some vinegar to adjika?
I have not needed to add any vinegar to this recipe, since I have found the tomatoes to add enough acidity. You could try but I would recommend testing it by stirring it into a small batch so you don’t overwhelm the flavor with vinegar.
Thats not Adijika. Adijika has Saffron in it but your moms resipe does not even mention it. I would call your ”Adijika” salsa more than anything. But still the resipe is good;)
Different countries, towns and families make it differently. I’ve never heard of adjika with saffron but it does sound interesting. Doesn’t the tomato and jalapeno overpower the saffron? I imagine you’d need quite a bit of it to taste it at all. How much do you add?
Love your website! I’m definitely going to try this recipe, but I’m a little concerned about the food safety factor. I’m no canning expert, but it seems to me that the acidity of the tomatoes and apples are not necessarily enough to make water-bath canning safe – some are very acidic, others not much at all. Do you think pressure canning this would ruin the flavors?
I haven’t tried pressure canning, but I imagine it would probably be ok. I’m curious what kind of tools do you use for canning?
This must be pressure canned!
Hi!
Seems great – will try it sometime. I never thought of adding the apples – sounds awesome. Jalapenos isn’t a typical ingredient though – it has a very distinct Mexican taste to it. The original Russian recipe has a horseradish in this dish – and boy, is it great!!! You should try that instead – it def brings back memories 🙂
Cheers
I haven’t tried with horseradish. I should ask my Mom about it. She has a bunch of it growing in her yard 🙂
Pls clarify that Adjika (translated as salt in Abkhaz) is originally Georgian Abkhazian traditional spicy dip, which is also popular in former Soviet countries, such as Russia and Ukraine. However, Georgians and Abkhazian are not slavic people, so Adjika is not slavic food.
Yes, you are absolutely right! Even the word itself isn’t Russian in any way – but it was a staple (lol) sauce in the Soviet Union, so it is sometimes called Russian – it’s like officially any ex-Soviet citizens are nowadays referred to as Russians by the westerners. Russian cuisine got an incredible boost from the Soviet neighbours – before it was rather meat-based and in my opinion watery and boring. Spicy food rules!
I love to hear the origins and history of foods. Thanks so much for sharing! I agree, spicy food rules! 🙂
hello!
do we have to keep it in the fridge, or can it be stored in a pantry, if pantry than for how long? thankyou!!!
GOD BLESS YOUR GROWING FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Rose! This is a canning recipe so it is ok on the shelf if you go through the canning process outlined above. If you feel better about leaving it in the fridge, that’s fine too :). It’s good served cold or at room temp.
Hi Natashaskitchen! Can I put less jalapeño pepper since my family doesn’t like to spicy?
Yes, you absolutely can reduce the amount of jalapeno. I hope you love it! 🙂
Hi! I made this and your canned tomatoes yesterday and i feel like a “hoxyaichka”now :))
I made half ur recipe and used 5small red hot pepper, i dont know what type theu are, but it turned out perfectly mild and delicious!!
I never liked adzhika before because my parents always madr it too spicy.. Now im in love.. And i never knew theres apples in there.. Awesome :))
Also, i had a quick question, when my filled bottles were in the oven they leaked a bit.. (yeah it smelled from the oil) but after they cooled the bottle seems sealed, the button is down.. You think its still safe to store ??
Thanks!!
If the tops are sealed and the button is down, it should be fine. If you are really concerned, you can keep the leaked ones refrigerated. You might fill them slightly less next time. Did they all leak? I’m so glad you liked the recipe 🙂 Also, make sure the seal stays put in the future; they should never be bulging before you open them.
No, just a couple of them. Like 2.. Ok, thaanks!
Hi Natasha! Thank you for all your hard work and the wonderful recipes that you continue to add! I would also like to share a similar recipe with you but its a bigger batch. It is SO YUMMY that I can literally eat it like soup with bread, lol especially when I’m pregnant!
5 kg tomatoes
3 kg red bell pepper
2 kg carrots
1.5 kg apples
1 cup garlic
2 green hot pepper (I use jalapenos)
1 bunch of cilantro
1 bunch of parsley
plus salt to taste at the end
Directions are the same as yours! 🙂
Again thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes you share with us! God bless you!
Alla thank you so much for taking the time to share that. I sure appreciate it! I printed it for next time 🙂
I use almost the same recipe here in Ukraine but with onions, less garlic, without jalapenos and I use olive oil. We love it, great as side dish, excellent pasta and pizza sauce!
Follow the same procedure but use:
500 grams carrots
500 grams green apples
2 kls Roma tomatoes
1 kl. bell pepper
2 large white onions
Bring to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes and add:
1-2 garlic heads, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
Simmer for another 15 minutes.
P.S. hope you don’t mind me sharing it! 🙂
I love that you shared it!! Thank you so much for sharing. I can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Dear Natasha,
It’s great that you are promoting the delicious Russian-style cooking. You have, however, a misconception about the origin of Adjika and some of the other recipes.
Adjika to Russians is not what pesto is to Italians. It is, rather, what salsa is to North Americans – a dish that came from the “South of the Border”. Adjika comes from Georgia, which is south of Russia’s border. Pesto, on the other hand, is an authentic Italian recipe.
As far as other Slavic people, you cannot pile them into the same pile. For example, Bulgarians have a similar sauce (by a different name), but Poles do not. And I do hope you realize that Georgia is not a Slavic country.
Thanks for commenting! It’s always great to hear from my readers. I meant that it’s popular in Russia just like pesto is popular in Italy. Clearly they are completely different recipes with different purposes and uses. This post wasn’t intended to be a history lesson; just a great recipe that my family loves! I try not to get into the nitty gritty of who made what first because there are tons of arguments on both sides. This is a personal blog and I share the foods that are popular in Russia and Ukraine and are loved by my family. Thanks for the history lesson 😉
Can you use a manual meat grinder for this if u don’t have the food processor?
It should work as just as well :).
Perfect recipes, I canned a few portions of this goodness! Awesome recipe, I added a couple more jalapenos 😉
That means you must like it very spicy. I think we could be friends! LOL
I used 5 jalepanos and it is spicy!! My husband said his mouth is on fire. I don’t think it would be edible with 14. Your homegrown ones must be different. On the separate note, boy did I suffer after handling those jalepanos! My hands were burning soooooo bad for hours! It’s was mini hell on earth I thought! I was crying, screaming, and praying; that’s how bad it was. I googled it after, seems like many people get this “reaction”. I will know to wear gloves next time. (Maybe worth noting that in the recipe for your readers.
Ouch!! :-O Your comment makes me think that your peppers were not jalapenos. There’s no way 5 jalapenos in this whole recipe would be even close to spicy. We use 10-15 in another roasted salsa too and it’s spicy but not nearly what you described. The ones we grow are the same as the ones in the store. And, jalapenos don’t usually burn your hands unless you have super sensitive skin. I don’t think those were jalapenos.
No doubt these were jalapeños. I mean I know what they look like plus they are labeled in the store. As someone mentioned in the comment above, some jalapeños can be very spicy and others not spicy at all. I guess your are on one end and mine on the other.
I’ve never heard of them being that super spicy. The homegrown ones we used in this post are just like the ones we buy at he store also. I wonder if someone put them in the wrong bin?? Also, did you try to seed the peppers, is that why you were handling them or did you try to mince them by hand? Anyway, your poor hands 🙁 I hope you don’t change your mind about jalapenos. I think you got an unusually hot batch.
It’s more of a salsa than pesto. Pesto is not spicy and salsa on the contrary
I meant that it’s our version of Pesto as in: Pesto is to Italians as Adjika is to Russians/Ukrainians 🙂 I’m not claiming that this is pesto 😉
Hi, I would just like to point out that Adjika is a traditional Georgian sauce, so I would kindly ask you to clarify this:)
I did a little research and from what I can tell, It’s traditional in Russia and Georgia. I’m not sure who had it first, but I think it’s made a little differently in Georgia.
Hi Natasha,
I know adjika is good for a long period of time.. Can I store them at room temperature If they’re still unopened, or do they have to stay in the fridge when cooled after making.
You can store them even up to a year (or longer!) in the pantry at room temp. Hope you love it as much as we do!
Hi Natasha! Thx for sharing this recipe! Can’t wait to try it! Can you pls tell me if you can store the unopened cans at room temperature? Do they have to be stored in a dark cupboard or out on the shelf is fine? Thanks in advance 🙂
We have stored them at room temp up to a year 🙂