Ćevapi with Ajvar for Power, Inspiration, and Beating Back Bad Times | Sara's Kitchen Witchcraft

Gotta give credit to our neighbors down south of Slovenia for this goodness.

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Now, you listen here. I love the food of Slovenia as much as anyone. But in Slovenia, there are also many folks coming from further down south in the Balkans, like Croatians, Serbians, Bosnians, and more—and they have some damn good food, too!

When my fiance and I were in Slovenia, we had a great time trying all kinds of different foods, both classic Slovenian and ones from elsewhere. Why bother getting a quick bite at a place like McDonald's when this kebab place is selling massive pita breads of delicious spiced meats, veggies, etc. for a fraction of the price, right? The stuff we could get there seemed pretty endless, and one Balkan classic that I knew we had to try were these little hand-formed "sausages" known as ćevapi (che-vah-pee). They're actually pretty easy to make, and they're a delight either fried on the stove or grilled out when the weather is nice. (Unfortunately for me, it'd been thunderstorming all week, so I had to make them inside... but they were still good and very worth the little bit of time to throw together.)

The thing is, though, that with ćevapi, there also has to be a certain type of condiment spread with it: ajvar (ai-var), a roasted red pepper and eggplant spread, and kajmak (ky-mak), a dairy spread kind of like clotted cream or creme fraiche. You can usually find something close to ajvar in places like Trader Joe's (usually as "roasted red pepper spread"), or find jars of preserved roasted eggplants/garlic/peppers that you can then blend into a paste yourself. For kajmak, again, clotted cream is the closest thing, or creme fraiche, but you can apparently also approximate something close to it by beating together cream cheese, feta cheese, and sour cream or Greek yogurt.

We'll be taking a look at a few things here for the magic: namely, the onion, garlic, pepper, eggplant, and dairy of these ingredients together.

Let's dive in!

Magic in Ćevapi with Ajvar

So, here's the thing: I have been having a rough ass time mentally. I've been feeling moody, sluggish, and just not inspired whatsoever to get done what needs to get done. As a result, I feel like I need to get my fighting spirit back and inject some life into me, as well as banish whatever bad mojo has been hanging around.

And there is nothing better for both of these needs than fiery, sulfuric, "fuck-you-don't-touch-me" items like spicy peppers, onions, and garlic.

The amount of “piss off and die” energy potential this meal has is off the charts, given that it’s about 80% fire based and 60% Mars based. That little reflective touch of Moon and water with the dairy involved, as well as the eggplant’s association with Jupiter, however, also give room for there to be a moment of reflection, comfort, grace, and expansion in areas we need to kick a little more ass in. If you’ve been feeling blue, this meal serves as a hearty, summery, and fiery reminder that you are, in fact, capable of anything, and that your enemies should be scared to see you coming.

Ćevapi with Ajvar

Prep time: 15min

Cook time: 30-45min

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

For meat mixture:

• 1 onion

• 5-6 cloves garlic

• 2lbs minced meat

• Either beef, pork, lamb, or a mix

• 2 eggs

• 1 Tbsp paprika

• 1 tsp baking soda

• ½ Tbsp black pepper

• 1.8% - 2% of meat weight in salt 

• Ex: 900g (~2lbs) of meat = 18g (1 Tbsp + ½ tsp) salt

For serving:

• Ajvar

• Raw onion

• Kajmak

• Lepinja

Directions:

1.  Blend onion and garlic together, then set aside.

2.  Mix meat items together until fully incorporated, then let sit in fridge overnight or for at least 3 hours if you need it faster.

3.  Once marinated, heat a heavy bottom pan with olive oil

4.  Roll the meat mixture into little logs about the length of your index finger and fry on all sides until cooked through

5.  Stuff into a pita with ajvar, kajmak, and onion (or things like roasted red pepper sauce, an herby cream cheese, or whatever else you can find on hand).

You'll very quickly understand why we in the Balkans or lower central Europe are as spicy as we are once you come to better understand and appreciate these kinds of flavors. Hearty, satisfying, and so very delicious, it's bound to be a fantastic and easy addition to a cookout, or just a good, easy meal that tastes high effort for the everyday line up. Try it out! ♥

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Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.

Follow Sara on Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube, and explore her fiction writing here.