Cevapcici Reloaded

My never-ending summer... I'm sure you know what I mean when I say "never-ending summer". I don't think I've ever had such an amazing and long summer and such an absolutely wonderful holiday in my native country: weekends in Salzburg, Zell am See and Leogang, several culinary highlights in St. Anton, visiting family in Vorarlberg, swimming in the Attersee and hiking in the Salzkammergut – yes. My summer was „endless“ and spectacular.

Part of a perfect summer is of course barbecuing with friends. I made good use of the last warm weekend by turning on my Verycook Plancha-Grill and making delicious cevapcici. These meat patty satays are reasonably simple and a great alternative to burgers et al. They're also a great party snack. Any type of salad or even rice - the classic accompaniments - work well as side dishes.

Cevapcici, correct spelling Ćevapčići, is a traditional dish in many southeastern European countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia. The classic variation consists of grilled, sausage-shaped patties seasoned with ground paprika, salt, pepper, savory and sometimes finely chopped garlic. I made my own version and added capers, thyme and parsley as well as Sonnentor's amazing Tante Mizzis Bratengewürz.

While being a huge fan of Grandma's traditional potato salad, you know how I love reinterpreting dishes - in this case I lost myself a little bit in the creation of my own magic potato salad. I gave it a bit of a kick by putting in radishes and rocket leaves and added a touch of the exotic by mixing in avocado. All in all a very healthy combination.

Radishes contain selenium, which supports our immune system, magnesium for our heart, potassium for muscles and nerves. But that's not all. They are also rich in vitamin C, which staves off colds and folic acid, which supports our cardiovascular system. But the radishes' special ingredient is sulphurous mustard oil, lending them their aroma and tangy flavour. This substance fights bad bacteria and fungi in your digestive tract, is present in rocket leaves as well - hence the slightly spicy, nutty, savoury taste -  and is known to protect our bodies from infections. Rocket leaves also contain beta-carotene and folic acid.

Even though avocados contain the highest fat content of all known fruits and vegetables, they are extremely healthy due to their optimal molecular structure. Avocados can lower cholesterol, protect the heart and blood vessels and subsequently reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

They are also rich in potassium, calcium and iron as well as unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin A, beta-carotene, biotin and vitamin E.
So you see - barbecues can definitely be good for you. You can find today's recipe here or on Sonnentor's recipe page! Rezepteseite von Sonnentor.

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Veggie Cevapcici with Radish-Avocado Potato Salad

2 people

Ingredients:

For the Cevapcici:

  • 350g minced beef
  • 1-2 TBSP Tante Mizzis Bratengewürz (Sonnentor roast spice mix)
  • 1 egg
  • 2-3 TBSP capers
  • 1 TBSP sweet paprika
  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ½ bunch parsley
  • ½ bunch thyme
  • salt and pepper
  • satay or kebab skewers

 

For the salad:

  • 4 potatoes
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 red onion
  • ½ bunch radishes
  • 1 TBSP Gute Laune Gewürz-Blüten-Zubereitung (Sonnentor spice/petal mix)
  • 50g rocket
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 2 TBSP herb vinegar
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 3 TBSP olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Preparation:

  1. For the potatoes: bring lightly salted water to the boil. Peel and rinse potatoes (cut bigger ones in half) and add to the water. Boil until cooked but firm to the bite (around 20-30 minutes).
  2. For the cevapcici: wash, shake dry and finely chop the herbs. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Chop the capers. In a bowl, combine the minced meat, onion, garlic, capers, herbs, roast spice mix, paprika, egg, salt and pepper and mix well. Form cevapcici patties, slide them onto the skewers and set aside.
  3. Squeeze the lemon. Halve and pit the avocado and scoop the pulp out with a spoon. Chop it into smaller pieces, if you like (see cooking tip). Drizzle some lemon juice on the avocado pieces and season with salt. Peel and finely chop the onion. Bring water for the broth to a boil and dissolve the stock cube. Add half the vinegar and the onion and bring to a boil, then whisk in the sugar and mustard.
  4. Drain the potatoes and let them cool. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the cevapcici evenly on all sides. Cut the potatoes into slices and put them in a salad bowl. Pour the stock mix over them. In a separate bowl, mix the avocado with the leftover vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Wash, shake dry and finely chop the rocket.
  5. Wash and quarter the radishes and mix into the potato salad along with the avocado. Garnish with the chopped rocket and the spice/petal mix and serve on plates alongside the cevapcici.

For a vegetarian version, substitute the minced beef for 100g crumbled soy (enough for 2 people). Let the soy soak in hot water for 10 minutes and then proceed with the recipe as above.

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