CEVAPCICI WITH AJVAR Dhruv Baker

Serves 6-8

I fell in love with ajvar the very first time I went to Croatia. You see it everywhere. It’s perfect with grilled fish or meats, like these kofta-like kebabs. It’s a game-changer for even the most hapless of barbecuers – put a pot of it on the table, and everything else becomes easy. The leftover ajvar from this recipe will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Ingredients

For the cevapcici:

500g pork mince

500g beef mince

1 egg white

3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1½ tsp of cayenne pepper

1 large white onion, finely diced

For the ajvar:

4 red peppers

1 large aubergine

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

50ml extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp caster sugar

1 generous pinch of chilli flakes

Method

Mix all the cevapcici ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 7-8cm sausages – you want them a uniform thickness, unlike koftas which can be thicker in the middle.

Place onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight (this will help them stay intact when cooking).

To make the ajvar, brush the peppers and the aubergine with olive oil and cook over the barbecue until the flesh is soft and the skins are blackened and charred (roast in the oven at 200C for 30-40 mins if you prefer).

Remove the veg from the oven, place in a bowl, cover tightly and leave for 10-15 mins. When cool enough to handle, rub or peel the skins off the peppers and aubergine. Take care to remove all the seeds from the peppers.

Place the peppers and aubergines into a food processor along with the remaining ingredients, and pulse to gorgeous, thick, bright orange puree. Season to taste.

Cook the cevapcici over the barbecue, turning every few minutes to ensure they’re cooked through and evenly browned all over. Alternatively, heat a splash of olive oil in a griddle pan or frying pan and fry the cevapcici for around 20 mins (in batches so that you don’t crowd the pan).

Serve the cevapcici with ajvar, diced red onion a wedge of lemon and some flatbreads.

Shop

Pork mince

Northfield Farm

Beef mince

Wild Beef

Croatian olive oil

Taste Croatia