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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
Oven canning is not safe and can actually cause the jars to break and shatter. Canning jars are meant to be placed in boiling water which is 212 degrees or in a pressure cooker which if I remember correctly is 250 degrees and both are in a moist environment. The oven is dry and too warm. You also need to pressure can this as there is not enough acid or sugar to preserve the food. Unfortunately, you can not see botulism and only pressure can kill the spores. Botulism can develop without a broken seal so even though the food looks and smells safe it can be dangerous if proper canning methods are not used. The USDA has a site with safe canning practices if you are curious about the methods. The USDA notes that we must use different methods today than our parents and grandparents because of the acidity changes on homegrown and store-bought produce over the decades. I this helps. This recipe looks very similar to a meat relish my german grandmother made.
Thank you for sharing your tips! I’ll be investing in a good canning system when we finally move into our own place. What system are you using? Do you like it?
I love my new electric Ball Water Bath Canner. It frees up my stove. I also have the Pesto brand but my pick is the electric. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Natasha,
I’ve always wanted to make this recipe but it is way more than I need. Any advice from experience/others on reducing the recipe? I would reduce it by at least half. What are your thoughts?
P.S. I love that you have Ukrainian recipe roots on this site. I lived in Donetsk for a few years and I miss the cuisine.
Hi Zack, we always make a big batch for canning but that would work to reduce it by half.
Do you need to peel the apples? If you are going to grind them up, would it matter?
Hi Drew, we have always peeled the apples first and I always assumed it was for texture reasons – to make the adjika smoother.
Hi Natasha!
I bought 5 lb of chili peppers today, they looked like gypsy peppers but they happened to be hot. I was wondering if I can substitute bell peppers and jalapeños with those chili ones? Do you think it might work?
Hi Tanya, I’m not sure what the difference will be in the level of heat in the adjika using the same amount of chili peppers. I think it could work though.
Ok, I will give it a try, and let you know
It turned out sooooo good. It was mild taste with a little hot accent . My whole family enjoyed it. Even my 4 year old one 😉
Awesome, I’m glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hi Natasha, this recipe looks delicious. How long does this last in the pantry?
Hi Kelly, if canned, it has a shelf life of at least a year.
Hi Natasha, what kind of apples do you use for this recipe? thank you
Hi Nadia, we usually use a variety of whatever apples we have on hand. This recipe is pretty forgiving. I would go with any kind of crisp sweet/tart apple like gala or golden delicious, pink lady, etc.
Hi Natasha! One more question. I don’t have big food processor just tiny one. I wonder if is it better to use myasorybka or regular tyorka or ( I don’t think blender good idea). I don’t think they would use food processor in Ukraine. How can I do other then food processor? I was thinking myasorybka for tomatoes and peppers. And carrots with apples on tyorka. What do you think? Thanks for fast reply
Hi Olgitta, A good blender would work to blend in batches, pulsing it until it is still a somewhat chunky consistency – keep an eye on it so it doesn’t turn into a smoothie :). I also think a grater would work, you would just have a slightly different consistency. I hope you love it!
Hi Natasha! I really want to try your recipe. I’ve done adjiga many times but I never canned my. I keep it I fridge I put only tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic and jalapeños in it. But canning sound so good. I’m very concern of your recipe. Wouldn’t it be sweet. We really wouldn’t like sweet adjiga. Can I skip apples? Or it’s very important in this recipe. Also can you put less oil? I never put any in my. Thanks I’ll wait for your reply then I’ll do it!
Hi Olgitta, No worries, this is not a sweet adjika recipe. The apples help to balance it and it is important in this recipe. I haven’t tried it without oil so I’m not sure about that.
Adjika is a traditional georgian sauce, please make a revision of this information. thank you 🙂
Hi Teona, thanks for sharing! This is my Mom’s Ukrainian version of the sauce.
This looks very tasty but there are too many nonacidic vegetables compared to tomatoes to be safely waterbathed. There is also way too much oil. Even if it had safe proportions, the processing time is not long enough.
We’ve never had any issues with the recipe. You can definitely experiment if you’re concerned but this is the way we’ve been making it for years 🙂 You can also keep it refrigerated if you’re concerned.
Natasha, PH4 or lower is safe for water bath per USDA guidelines. PH test strips are available online. And water bath isn’t hard at all 🙂 Neither is pressure canning. You could go pro-biotic and lacto ferment this. You’d have an Adjika Kvass. 😀
That is an excellent excellent suggestion! Thank you so much for sharing!!
hi, Natasha! this looks so delicious, can’t wait to try it! have two questions first: 1. what are the best apples for adjika? 2. how long should we wait before we can start eating it??:) thank you!
Hi Carolina, just about any crisp sweet apple will work (I would avoid Red Delicious and Green though) – braeburn, fuji, gala, golden delicious, pink lady, nearly any apple would work. 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! I’m going to try it.
Do you need to add vinegar or lemon juice to preserve it?
Hi Marina, we don’t add anything additional and it preserves well.
how many jars does this recipe makes (jars on the picture) ill be making this tonight
Hi Angelina, “This makes 7 (1 pint) jars of adjika. i.e. 14 cups.” Enjoy!
THANKS FOR THE REPLY, BTW MY SISTER-IN-LAW (ANGELA) AND I ARE HOOKED ON YOU, YOUR RECIPES ARE FINGER LICKING GOOD, THANK YOU!
Angelina, I’m so happy to hear that my blog is a blessing to your family. Thank you so much for sharing that with me 😀.
Natasha, I admire your diplomacy! I’m going to try to break this down to a smaller recipe (we don’t need that much). It sounds just like one of my grandmas recipes, without the benefit of a food processor! I can’t wait to taste it!
Diplomacy… 😉 You’re comment made me smile. I hope you love the recipe! 🙂
This recipe is something else, I have been doing it for past 3 years and every time was delicious.
First time was not enough spicy, second time I made it twice one because one was too spocy(too many jalapeños with seeds) and one less spicy. Still we loved it and all our friends wanted the sicret recipe. This time I’m using a couple whole jalapeños and the rest without the seeds. Thank you Natasha for sharing this delicious recipe and make all the great recipes for families like ours that likes to eat the best stuff.
Jalapenos are tricky like that – sometimes they are spicy and sometimes they really aren’t. We’ve had this happen both when they are homegrown and storebought. It’s always a surprise 🙂 I’m so happy you enjoy my recipes!
I feel like I should have seeded the tomatoes first… mine’s pretty runny 🙁 I seem to recall the stuff I bought at the rynok in Kyiv was much thicker.
Stilll tasty… SPICY… but tasty 😀
Thank you Bella 😀. Some tomatoes are juicier than others and it would not hurt to seed them first for thicker results.
Hi Natasha I followed your recipe exactly even adding bit more apple and carrot and I canned only 5 pint jars. I compared on my weight scale and your measurements not sure how that happen. Maybe that’s imwhy it’s too spicy? I added 12 jalepenos into this batch. Next time I won’t be afraid to tweak it a bit. Add more tomatoes, add onions and less hot peppers. ive done extensive research on canning , and I learned adding oil decreases shelf life. Maybe this recipe we can omit, and add oil once Jarvis opened. That is how many can pasta sauces. Overall great base recipe! And ideally pressure canning is safer, however my mom keeps drilling that’s how they can for decades lol and they all are fine 🙂 I did process in a water Bath 12 min.
Hi Margarita 🙂 I have found that jalapeños can vary in how spicy they are so that can make a difference and it’s really hard to tell how spicy they will be just looking at them. If you like it less spicy, you can definitely add less jalapeños. We’ve had this sit on the shelf for over a year and never had a jar go bad even with the oil in it. I haven’t tested it without oil. Thank you for sharing your process and review! 🙂
The best adjika resipe ever!
I”m making same adjika for almost 30 years and all in my family loves it 🙂
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
I have made this recipe, and it is delicious. I often use it to dip toasted pita bread in, for a snack. (probably not a traditional use, but I love it). Also, I will add a big spoonful to a bowl of soup.
I brought some to a party and everyone was raving about it. I served it with pita and crackers.
Thank you for the wonderful review on the Adjika, I’m so happy you liked it 😀.
Adjika is in no ways russian or slavic, It is Georgian, its origin is western Georgia. labeling all post-soviet Countries and people as russians is offending and ignorant.
George, this is my mom’s Ukrainian version of the recipe. Every family makes it a little differently.
than u can call it different name adjika is Georgian.
Pesto is to Italians as Adjika is to Slavic people.
Slavic people? its Caucasian
George, these type of comments are just silly. It’s like if someone posted a recipe for Chicago style pizza and all Italians would get mad and demand to change the name of it because pizza is Italian. I am glad it just says adjika, because I could easily find it when I wanted to find Ukrainian style adjika. I might want to find authentic Georgian adjika as well, and that’s ok too, and it might not be this exact recipe, and that’s also ok. And I would more than likely look for someone with Georgian roots for that. Just because someone with Slavic roots said that Slavic people like adjika does not take away it’s origin or the fact that Georgian people like their version of adjika as well.