Ćevapčići with Ajvar – Croatia

Method

For the kebab: add all the kebab ingredients apart from the oil, sour cream and white onion to a bowl and mix well with your hands. Cover and put in a fridge for at least 2 hours.

For the ajvar: Preheat an oven to 220°C (430°F). On a baking sheet lined with baking parchment place the aubergine halves skin-side down and the red pepper halves flesh side-down. Bake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and put them in to a bowl covering it with cling-film. Leave for 15 minutes. Peel the red peppers and aubergine and put into a food processor with the crushed garlic. Process until smooth and then whilst the processor is still in action drizzle in the lemon juice and then the oil. Process until smooth and thickened. Add seasoning, process and taste, adjusting seasoning further if required. Pour the ajvar in to a container and mix in most of the chopped parsley, reserving some for garnish.

To cook the kebab: Form sausage shaped kebabs with the kebab mix - I made 8 kebabs with this quantity. Put half a wooden skewer through the middle of each sausage and cook in a preheated griddle or frying pan in 2 tablespoons of oil. Do a quarter turn on each kebab every 2 and a half minutes. They take about 10 minutes on a medium heat to cook right through and brown.

Serve with flat bread, sour cream, dollops of ajvar and the diced white onion.