Ćevapi

the Balkan grill's small fingers of minced beef and lamb with no filler at all, packed into hot somun bread under a mound of raw onion

Origin: Sarajevo, Banja Luka & the Ottoman Balkans

From the journey of Onion.

Ćevapi are minced meat and nothing else. No breadcrumb, no egg, no rice, no filler of any kind; the mixture is beef and lamb, salt, pepper, garlic water, and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, worked hard and rested overnight so the proteins bind on their own. That austerity is the whole standard, and a ćevap that holds together because something starchy is holding it is a failure. The onion is not a garnish and is the reason this entry hangs on it. A portion arrives as five or ten fingers pushed inside a split somun, the soft flatbread, with a quantity of raw chopped onion that a newcomer usually assumes is a mistake. It is not: the meat is rich, the bread is soft, and the onion is the only sharp thing on the plate. Rinsing the onion first is a common courtesy and a matter of some debate. The name comes from Turkish kebap by way of the Ottoman centuries, and the dish belongs to the whole of the former Yugoslavia rather than to any one of its successor states. Sarajevo and Banja Luka argue about the correct size and shape, Leskovac in Serbia grills its own, and the Croatian, Montenegrin, and Macedonian versions are all recognisably the same thing. Bosnian practice keeps them small and packs them in a bundle; Serbian ćevapčići are frequently a little larger. The bicarbonate is the one technical trick and it does two things: it raises the pH so the meat holds water and stays juicy, and it loosens the texture so the finished ćevap is soft rather than springy. A very small quantity is enough, and too much gives a soapy taste.

Ingredients

Meat

  • 500 g minced beef, about 20 per cent fat
  • 300 g minced lamb

Garlic water

  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 80 ml cold water

Seasoning

  • 1.5 tsp fine salt
  • 1.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 0.5 tsp sweet paprika

To serve

  • 3 large onions, finely chopped and rinsed
  • 4 somun or thick pitta breads
  • 150 g kajmak or thick clotted cream
  • 4 tbsp ajvar

Method

  1. Crush the garlic into the cold water, leave it for fifteen minutes, then strain and discard the solids. Garlic water rather than garlic pieces is the traditional method and keeps the texture smooth.
  2. Mix the two minces with the salt, pepper, bicarbonate, and paprika.
  3. Add the garlic water a little at a time and work the mixture hard with your hands for a full five minutes.
  4. Keep working it until it turns noticeably sticky and pulls away from the side of the bowl in a single mass. This is what binds it, and it is the only thing that does.
  5. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least six hours. The rest lets the salt and bicarbonate do their work and the mixture firms considerably.
  6. Work the rested mixture again briefly, then shape it into fingers about 7cm long and 2cm thick. A piping bag with a wide plain nozzle gives the most even result and is what commercial kitchens use.
  7. Rest the shaped ćevapi for another thirty minutes so they hold their shape on the grill.
  8. Build a charcoal fire and let it burn down to hot embers with no flame. Ćevapi are grilled fast and close to the heat.
  9. Grill for ten to twelve minutes, turning every couple of minutes, until browned all over and just cooked through. They should stay juicy; overcooked, they go dry and crumbly.
  10. Split the somun and warm it briefly on the edge of the grill, then open it up and steam it for a moment over the meat so it softens.
  11. Pack five to ten ćevapi into each bread with a spoonful of kajmak.
  12. Serve with a great deal of raw chopped onion and ajvar on the side, and do not stint the onion.

Notes

No filler and no binder: the texture comes from working the meat until it is sticky and resting it overnight, and adding breadcrumb or egg produces a meatball rather than a ćevap. Keep the bicarbonate to half a teaspoon for 800g, since more gives a soapy taste. The mince wants a decent fat content; very lean meat gives a dry result. Rinsing the chopped onion under cold water takes the harsh edge off without cooking it, which is standard practice though not universal. Charcoal and hot embers rather than a flame, and turn them often.

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