HOW TO MAKE CROATIAN CEVAPI/ CEVAPCICI

If you missed my previous post, then this is a follow up on what you could make to eat with ajvar. How to make Croatian cevapi/ cevapcici is what I have for you today. Grilled flavoured minced meats that pair well with the ajvar recipe I gave you earlier and is just glorious to have any time. As much as I would like to eat cevapi the authentic way with all the dips and bread, I tend to also make them and eat them on their own because they are that good and just makes you want more. Before I continue, let me just explain a bit more what cevapi/ cevapcici are.

So, what exactly is cevapi?

Plainly put, cevapi is a grilled dish of minced meat found traditionally in Serbia and Croatia. Hand-mixed and formed into kebab shaped meat from two to three types of minced meat. For my recipe, I used two and preferably prepped a day before to let it marinate. For this recipe you will need;

Ingredients

500gms minced beef
250gms minced lamb
1 tbsp onion powder
Tbsp paprika
6 cloves crushed garlic
Salt to taste
1 tbsp baking soda

METHOD

In a bowl, add your minced beef and lamb mince.
Add onion powder and paprika and then the crushed garlic and salt.
Give it a good mix until everything is combined and incorporated.
Cover with cling film and let it marinate for an hour, the longer the better and overnight is even perfect.
Once that’s done, add baking soda and give one more mix.
Start forming into sausage shapes and depending on what size you want, then they can be bigger or smaller.
This will determine how many you end up with and remember they will shrink while cooking.
In a heated griddled pan, start frying them.
You can also do this in the oven on the grill setting, turning them every now and then.
If you choose to do this on a bbq grill then it’s even better.
Once you are done, they are ready to be enjoyed.
Serve and enjoy.