Dressing up dinner with ajvar

Our favorite red pepper spread, ajvar or "Serbian salsa," has had a long hiatus from our house since we no longer live right down the street from a store that sells it at a reasonable price. I love the puree of roasted red peppers and eggplants mixed with garlic and oil. It tastes wonderful on sandwiches, on crackers, mixed into dips or casseroles or pasta dishes. I missed it so much that I made sure to put it on my list for a shopping outing that included returning to that favorite Asian market in our old neighborhood in Madison, WI. It comes in a rather large jar, so once we open one, it's imperative to use it frequently before it goes bad. 

A recent "meat" and potatoes type of dinner was a chance to try something new with ajvar. I made potatoes with lemon-garlic drizzle and tofu cutlets with blackened pepper coating. For a dessert/side, I served pears.

The recipes:

Tofu cutlets with blackened pepper coating
serves 3 to 4

1 block of firm tofu
ajvar red pepper spread
1 to 2 Tbsp oil for the pan

Squeeze the liquid out of the tofu, slice into six cutlets and spread each of them thickly on both sides with ajvar. Allow the cutlets to sit while you prepare potatoes.

Note: this part of the recipe could have been more successful if the time sitting was longer and if I had done more to turn the ajvar into a marinade. Next time I try this recipe, I'll try mixing the ajvar with oil and perhaps a little vinegar to see if it pulls more pepper flavor into the centers of the tofu pieces, which ended up tasting pretty plain this time around, and start marinating at least an hour before starting the potatoes.

When the potatoes are very close to done, heat oil in a large frying pan on high heat. Lay the ajvar-covered cutlets in the oil and fry on both sides until the pepper mixture is blackened.

Potatoes with lemon-garlic drizzle
serves 4

2 pounds Klondike Red potatoes (other boiling potatoes with pretty skins are acceptable), scrubbed but not peeled
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain, leave potatoes in the pot and cover so they dry out a little while you prepare the drizzle. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add garlic and cook until very light golden, then whisk in the lemon juice and heat through. Put the potatoes in the serving dish and drizzle the sauce over them. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Perhaps next time I have a hankerin' for ajvar I'll have to try out this recipe http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/vegetables/r/ajvar.htm or the one at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6430271 and can it myself.