Croatian Cevapi (Cevapcici)
Croatian sausages
These are fantastic little sausages that are tender with a smoky, garlicky taste. These would traditionally be served on soft rolls with a reduced cream spread (like clotted cream) and and eggplant and roasted red pepper puree (and sometimes raw onion). Luckliy, you can achieve something similar using French onion dip (instead of the cream) and the eggplant and red pepper spread from Trader Joe's. These also reheat well in the microwave.
Adapted from: https://whereismyspoon.co/cevapi-or-cevapcici-recipe-grilled-sausages-croatian-food/
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs ground beef
- 8.8 oz ground pork (or Italian sausage)
- 1 larger onion (about 150 g/ 5.3 oz)
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- ½ tablespoon hot paprika
- ½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
- 2-3 tablespoons water/stock
- ¾ tablespoon vegeta or another vegetable stock powder (or just use chicken stock instead of water)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine: Place the ground meat in a bowl. Chop the onion very finely and grate the garlic cloves. Add to the bowl. Add the chopped parsley, all sorts of paprika, baking soda, dried breadcrumbs, water, Vegeta, salt, and pepper. Mix well with the hand mixer fitted with the dough hooks.
- Refrigerate: Cover the bowl with cling film/ plastic foil and leave to rest for 1 or 2 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator.
- Shape sausages: Take portions of the meat mixture, about 50-55 g/ 1.7-1.9 oz/ ¼ cup portions, and form the cevapi. The rolls should be about as thick as your thumb and about 7-10 cm/ 3-4 inches long. I had 18 sausages. You can easily double the recipe.
- Grill the cevapcici on the hot grill pan or the barbecue for about 12-14 minutes, turning them several times in between, or until brown and cooked through. I checked by cutting one in the middle and then grilling the subsequent batches for the same time.
- Serve hot as suggested above. The cevapcici can be reheated in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes or until heated through. Check one; if it is not hot enough, give the sausages a few more minutes. They also reheat in the microwave well