"Ćevapi" is the Balkan style grilled kebab which was introduced and fully described here. Here I give the Balkan favorite a spicy Southwestern twist by including plenty of dried chilies in the meat mixture, as well as serving the dish with Fajita veggies. One may call this Mexican chorizo minus the common spices such as cumin or coriander. Furthermore, as opposed to the traditional Ćevapi, the kebabs are broiled and not pan seared.
Ingredients*:
Chorizo Ćevapi (recipe follows)
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 Roma tomatoes, halved
Chorizo Ćevapi:
2.2 Pounds (~1 Kg) 80/20 ground beef
2 Ounces (56~ gr) dried chilies of choice**
1/4 cup of the water in which chilies are rehydrated***
1/2 cup caramelized onions ( or ½ pound [~ 225 gr or 1 medium] raw white onion, finely chopped****)
1/2 TSP baking soda
2 TSP salt
Recipe notes:
* The result is not instantly achieved as the procedure demands the over-night curing of the meat in the fridge
** I used one of each of Pasilla, Morita, and New Mexico
*** Make sure the water is cold
**** For an option that is closer to the famous Persian kebab Kubideh (See the results in the last post picture)
Rehydrate the chilies in water until soft. Finely blend the caramelized onions, chilies, salt, baking soda, and 1/4 of the water in which chilies are rehydrated. You can alternatively use raw onion for a completely different texture (see the recipe notes). In such case, the onion should not be blended but needs to be very finely diced up and mixed with the mixture. Mix the resulting puree with the meat and knead until fully incorporated. Form 18 to 20 long sausage shape patties, the thickness of which is up to you. For juicer kebabs, of medium well-done quality, form thicker patties. Note that medium rare is not an option here, as one might taste the unpleasantness of baking soda. Arrange the patties in a container, cover, and let cure in the fridge overnight.
On the bottom of an oven-proof dish spread the chopped onion and bell pepper slices as well as the tomato halves. You can either sauté the onion and pepper slices or leave them raw, depending on your desired texture. Broil from the closest distance that your oven provides for 6~8 minutes or until the surface of the meat is well-browned. You will not need to turn the patties around since the broiler makes the patties cook through. In the top and bottom photos, the dish is served with my Cilantro-lime rice.
Illustrated above is the version with raw onions.
Comments