After the first bite, I started using more and more of the spread with each bite. The more that I ate, the more defined the flavor became. I could taste peppers and garlic the most, which is where the hot flavor came from. Once I had eaten most of what was on my plate, I could feel it growing spicer in my mouth. It seemed like the more I ate, the spicer it got. I am not a huge fan of hot-tasting food, but it tasted so good that I could not stop eating it. I started using more bread with what was left of the spread and it helped cool my mouth off, and I enjoyed it more. After that day, I started getting it every time we went to the restaurant.
лютеница (lutenitsa) is prepared with tomatoes, peppers, onions and spices. This is the most common way of preparing lutenitsa, but everyone has a special way of making it. Some people even add carrots or eggplant to the mix! My favorite version of lutenitsa is with eggplant. To make lutenitsa, the cook must prepare all of the vegetables he or she is going to use. Each vegetable added will slightly change the flavor, so this can be a tough decision.
Once the vegetables are selected, the cook will roast the peppers. Roasting the peppers will give them a smokey flavor and make it easier to mash (or crush into a paste) later. The peppers need to be peeled and have the stems and seeds taken out. Then, the tomatoes will be boiled to make them easier to mash. Once this preliminarily, or initial, work is done, the peppers and tomatoes will be combined in a large pot with chopped onions, oil and salt. Other combinations of spices can be oil, salt, cumin and sugar. It just depends on the person preparing the lutenitsa.
