Cevapi
Cevapi are the Balkan version of small sausages — skinless minced beef and lamb patties seasoned with garlic and paprika, grilled and served in flatbread with ajvar (roasted pepper paste) and chopped onion. In Bosnia, they are considered a national food and serious local rivalries exist over the exact recipe. At restaurants, cevapi come in portions of ten, served on a wooden plate. The flatbread (somun) is an integral part of the dish — it wraps the sausages and absorbs the juices. Cevapi are eaten daily in Bosnia and are the most recognized culinary export of the Balkan kitchen.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
Slow simmered
Low and slow cooking
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 4 servings
- 500 g coarsely minced beef chuck (about 15% fat)
- 300 g coarsely minced lamb shoulder (or 800 g all beef if lamb is unavailable)
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed with 0.5 tsp salt to a fine paste
- 60 ml chilled sparkling water
- 1 tsp baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) — the key to the springy texture
- 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- 0.5 tsp dried marjoram or oregano (optional but traditional)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil for brushing
- 4 somun flatbreads (or 4 pittas), about 18 cm across each, to serve
- 1 large red onion (about 200 g), very finely diced
- 200 g ajvar (roasted red-pepper relish)
- 100 g kajmak (Balkan clotted cream) or thick crème fraîche, as a substitute
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, to scatter
How to make it
- 1Make the meat mixture; in a wide bowl combine the minced beef, minced lamb, garlic-salt paste, chilled sparkling water, baking soda, salt, pepper, paprika, and marjoram; knead vigorously with your hand for 4–5 minutes — the mixture should become noticeably sticky and start to pull together; this long knead and the bicarbonate are what give cevapi their characteristic springy bounce.
- 2Cover the bowl with cling film and rest the mixture in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally 12–24 hours; the flavour matures and the proteins relax.
- 3Wet your hands with cold water; take a tablespoon-sized portion of meat (about 35–40 g) and roll it between your palms into a finger-shaped cylinder about 7–8 cm long and 2 cm thick; repeat with the remaining meat to make about 24 cevapi (6 per person); arrange on a tray as you go.
- 4Chill the shaped cevapi for at least 20 minutes (up to 4 hours) to firm — they hold their shape better on the grill.
- 5Heat a charcoal grill or a heavy ridged griddle pan to medium-high (about 220°C surface); brush the cevapi very lightly with oil — barely a glaze; the grill should hiss but not smoke aggressively.
- 6Grill the cevapi for 8–10 minutes total, turning every 2 minutes onto all four sides, until the surface is mahogany brown with crisp edges and the centre reaches 65°C (they continue cooking on the plate); do not press them down; the goal is juicy, springy interiors.
- 7While the cevapi rest for 2 minutes, warm the somun (or pittas) on the grill 30 seconds per side until just puffed and lightly charred; split each one open along the seam to make a pocket.
- 8Pile 6 cevapi inside each warm flatbread (or arrange 6 on each plate beside the bread); spoon 1–2 tablespoons of ajvar to one side, add a generous knob of kajmak (or crème fraîche), and a small mound of diced raw red onion; scatter parsley leaves and serve immediately — the cevapi juices should soak into the somun.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
