Better known as Ćevapčići, this is not a Hungarian dish, but it is popular in Hungary. The American food magazine, Saveur, has even included this dish on its annual “Saveur 100″ list of favorite food-related things. This recipe comes from Sütés-Főzés a Szabadban és a Hétvégi Házban by László Csizmadia. He notes that lamb can also be used. In that case, the proportion should be 20 percent lamb, and the rest beef and pork. This recipe makes enough for four or five people. Feel free to use pre-ground meat in this recipe.
Ingredients:
250 grams beef (neck cut)
250 grams beef brisket
250 grams pork shoulder
250 grams pork belly
20 grams salt
500 grams onion
Method:
Carefully select the meat, making sure that there are some fatty parts. Salt the meat and grind it in a meat-grinder. Mix it well, and it is a good idea to put it through the grinder once more since the better the meat is mixed, the tastier it will be. Form little sausages as thick as your thumb and four to five centimeters long. Grill them well, turning them so they cook on all sides. Serve with new onions or sliced onions.
“Serve with new onions” – What the translator/author actually means here is leek. Leek is called “new onion” in Hungarian.
No, it’s not leek.
It’s scallion, or green onion.
Yes, porehagyma is leek.
You are both right. Porehagyma is leek, but “new onion” is ujhagyma, which is scallion, green, or new onion depending on where you come from since they’re all the same.
Sorry, should have clarified. “Ujhagyma” as you note is scallion, and literally translates as “new onion,” which is most likely what the author intended, given the translation. I was just saying that “porehagyma” is leek, which doesn’t look like a mistranslation of “ujhagyma.” Of course, that assumes knowledge of Hungarian.
Anyhow, my take on the recipe above is instead of using a 1:1 combination of pork and beef, use a 1:1:1 combo of pork, beef, and lamb. (You can also substitute veal for the pork or the beef.) The lamb gives the csevapi a much deeper flavor. (And veal will lighten the texture somewhat.)
I am aSerb and I’m telling you this is not original recipe.
@Maja:
You’re right!
A German friend whose parents lived “somewhere in the Balkan” told me that you need more spices – like ground laurel leaves for example, garlic too probably …
So please give us your ideas – or the “real” recipe!
PS: I used to go on holiday all over the former Yugoslavia – several times traveling all along the coast or passing through to Greece – and I really enjoyed those places and the different styles of cooking!