Kajmak i ajvar

The story

Kajmak is made from fresh milk, usually cow's milk, that is filtered, brought to a boil and poured into wide, shallow vessels. As the milk cools, a thick fatty crust forms on top. It is lifted off, the excess liquid is poured away, and the kajmak is salted layer by layer and left to ripen. The craft belongs to the hill and mountain country of central and western Serbia, from the Western Morava valley to Zlatibor, Tara, Toplica and Kopaonik, where it has traditionally been made by women at home, and in the Užice region it is a mark of local identity. In December 2016 it was entered in Serbia's National Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Ajvar is the autumn counterpart. Each fall families roast large, meaty red peppers, most often the Kurtovka variety, until the skins blacken, then sweat and peel them, grind the flesh and cook it slowly with oil until thick and glossy, and put it up in jars as zimnica, the winter stores. In Leskovac the smell of roasting peppers fills the town every autumn, and every family claims its recipe is the best. Ajvar is eaten with meat, cheese and bread, and often for breakfast.

Set both out with warm bread while the main course cooks.