Cevapcici

Childhood memories are akin to precious books cherished within our hearts. Memories, ignited by various triggers such as tastes, smells, touches, or music, hold a special place in our lives. Among these cherished memories, traditional foods play a significant role in shaping our upbringing. One such dish, renowned across the old Yugoslavia, is ĆEVAPČIĆI. I hope you delight in preparing and savoring this dish as much as I do.

Ingredients:

- 1 clove of garlic

- 1400 g of beef, from the shoulder

- 3 pinches of pepper

- 40 g of salt

- 600 g of veal

Preparation:

1. Grind beef and veal, mix, then add salt to the minced meat and mix well.

2. Mix for 5 minutes or longer, preferably by hand, then let it sit in the fridge at 3°C for 12 hours (although it can stand for 24 hours).

3. Press the garlic and add it to the minced meat. Add pepper and knead by hand for a few minutes.

Shaping:

- Shape the ćevapčići using the funnel intended for that, and you can also shape them with wet hands, so leave them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before staking.

- Banja Luka ćevapčići are about 2 cm in diameter, about 5 cm long, and are made into "plates" of four ćevapčića in a row. From 2 kg of minced meat, you should get about 40 ćevapčića.

Cooking:

- Grease a pan or grill plate with oil. Grill the ćevapčići for a few minutes on each side until they are nicely browned.

Serving:

- Serve ćevapčići warm, in a somun*. As a rule, a lot of onions are served with them, but tomatoes, cucumbers, green salad, and various additions and toppings make an excellent combination.

Note:

- If you follow the recipe to the letter, it will take you a day or two to prepare the Banja Luka ćevapčići. In ćevapčići shops, this is not a problem because while one meat is being prepared, the other is already ready for roasting. However, when it comes to smaller quantities of meat for home use, hardly anyone will show so much will. Therefore, you can shorten all the mentioned times (for mixing and standing) to prepare ćevapčići within a reasonable period.

- It's true that it's not exactly that, but it's similar and, of course, delicious.

*Somun recipe will be published soon.