CEVAPI: BOSNIAN GRILLED MINI KEBABS

Ingredients

• 1 lb minced beef
• 1 lb minced pork
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion finely diced
• 1/2 cup sparkling water
• 2 sprigs parsley, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg

Ajvar

• Olive oil
• 6 red peppers
• 2 aubergines
• A bunch of flat leaf parsley
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 onion, chopped

Serving As a Sandwich

• 6 flatbreads, to serve
• Sour cream, to serve
• Pickled guindilla peppers, to serve (optional)

How to Make

Stage 1 - Prepare the Ajvar

1. To prepare the ajvar, start by preheating your oven broiler to its maximum heat and setting an oven rack as close to the top as possible
2. Lay your eggplant and red bell peppers on either a grill pan or a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil
3. Place your red pepper and eggplant into the broiler for 3-4 minutes, keeping a keen eye on how each vegetable (particularly the pepper) is blackening
4. When one side has blackened, use tongs to flip your bell pepper and eggplant over to cook the other side
5. After another 3-4 minutes - once you've confirmed everything is cooked and nicely blistered - turn off your broiler, take your roasted vegetables out of the oven, and let them rest.

Stage 2 - Mix Your Ćevapi Ingredients

1. Combine your ground beef, ground pork, minced garlic, minced onions and minced parsley together in a mixing bowl
2. Mush everything together, either with your hands or vigorously with a ladle, until the meat and aromatics are well combined
3. Next, add in your smoked paprika, black pepper, cayenne and salt to the meat and mix around again
4. Finally, add the baking soda, egg and sparkling water and mix into the ćevapi mixture

Step 3 - Mold and Grill the Ćevapi

1. Start by preheating your grill pan over medium-high heat on your stovetop.
2. Take a ball-sized piece of your ćevapi mixture in the palm of your hand.
3. Mold your ćevapi with your fingers into the shape of finger-length sausages.
4. Place each ćevapi onto the grill pan.
5. Grill your ćevapi until the meat is browned and grill marks start to form (nearly 3-4 minutes each side)
6. Once cooked, take your cooked ćevapi off the grill and let rest for 5 minutes

Step 4 - Finish Preparing Ajvar

1. As your ćevapi rest, peel the skins off your blistered and cooked bell peppers and eggplants, then place them in a blender
2. Add your chopped onions, lemon juice and parsley, and blend everything together until you have a smooth red paste. And you're done!

To serve, take a flatbread and stuff it with some ćevapi. Top it with ajvar, sour cream and maybe some pickled peppers, and enjoy!