Cevapcici

I live in the town of San Pedro, which is part of the city of Los Angeles, and is home to thousands of Croatians, including my butcher. For years, I have seen these little cigar-like Balkan Sausages at the butcher shop but unfortunately never bothered to ask about them. The other day, the lady in front of me bought loads of them. She said her family is wild about cevapcici and she usually grills or broils them and serves with onions and peppers in olive oil. So…I added some to my order. It was time to give these little guys a try.
After some research on the Internet, I found they are almost always served with onions then ingredients like sour cream, peppers, paprika, and flat bread are not far behind.
I sautéed onions and peppers then added salt, garlic and spicy paprika, meanwhile cooking the cevapcici under the broiler.
I even found a video on how to make them, although I couldn’t understand a word except “cevapcici,” I did see how they are formed, by a unique kitchen gadget, into what I would call a particularly unfortunate shape as they are not too pretty for the camera if you know what I mean. But, boy, are they ever delicious!

My butcher instructs me to pronounce all the c’s like a ch, so I sound like a Croat.
Che-Vap’-Chi-Chi.
He makes his with lamb and beef and spices although some also add pork to the mix.
You may recognize these famous Croats in food and wine respectively:
Lydia Bastianich and Mike Grgich.

I plan to serve a lot of cevapcici this summer (now that I can pronounce it), hot off the barbecue grill, maybe with a yogurt cucumber dip? If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and give them a try.
UPDATE:
TRY THIS CEVAPCICI FLATBREAD PIZZA TOO! Recipe here.
Cevapcici Flatbread

let’s share our meatloaf secrets


Moist is a key word when it comes to delicious meatloaf.


Isn’t this a cute little meatloaf? Baked in my Le Creuset Chestnut Oval Baker.


Really good meatloaf recipes are a dime a dozen… No, actually, they are cheaper than that, they’re free! You can ask your mom, my mom, your cousin, your best friend, your co-worker, Molly, my butcher, Google, Foodbuzz (click here)…or me.

But this post is about my secrets to a scrumptious meatloaf:  Cook at 325 until the meat registers 155 degrees as opposed to a specific cooking time. Use a remote thermometer. Remove from oven and let rest before serving. This results in a moist juicy meatloaf.

And have a gooey zippy sauce. This one is 4 parts barbecue sauce to one part each honey and Worcestershire plus several hearty dashes of hot sauce. Whisk together and pour over the meat prior to cooking.

Peas are optional.

Do you have a meatloaf secret to share?

Corned Beef & Cabbage Brunch


I prepare a traditional corned beef and cabbage – simmering the corned brisket in liquid with pickling spices, bay, peppercorns and carrot, onion, and celery for about four hours. Then I remove the beef, add quartered cabbage and potatoes, and cook until tender.

For this brunch dish, eggs are poached in the corned beef cooking liquid.  This gives the eggs an extraordinary flavor.

I mix mayonnaise and creme fraiche with whole grain mustard and horseradish and spread this on toasted rye bread. Top the rye with sliced corned beef, then the poached egg, along side a helping of potatoes and cabbage.


This photo is my submission to CLICK, a theme-based monthly food photography event. The theme this month is “metal.” This food photograph features my French SABATIER knife with fork.

Pistachio Crusted Lamb, Pomegranate Glaze

Costata d’agnello incrostato con pistacchio
Con una glassa de melagrana


Pistachios and panko bread crumbs are ground in the food processor with salt, pepper, and olive oil to get the right consistency for encrusting the meat.


The lamb rack is seasoned then encrusted and baked at 350 for about 25 – 30 minutes. This lamb is cooked to medium, adjust cooking time to your temperature preference, then let the lamb rest.


The chops are sliced and served here with mashed potatoes. Drizzle the tangy warm pomegranate glaze over the meat.


On Lamb, Pistachio, and Pomegranate in Italy:

Easter Nears, And That Means…
Lamb in Italy: It’s the one thing you can be almost certain to find on the table come Easter Sunday.

Emperor Vitellius brought the pistachio to Rome in A.D. 50. He would finish off his meal by stuffing his mouth full of pistachios. Pistachios are currently cultivated as a commercial crop Italy.

The pomegranate made its way to Italy via Carthage (Punic), and therein lies the root of its Latin name, Punicum malum (apple). Its current botanical name is Punicum granatum with Punicum recognizing Carthage as a focal point for pomegranate cultivation and granatum referring to the many seeds or grains in the fruit. Many Italian Renaissance fabrics boasted the pattern of cut pomegranates. Ancient Romans not only enjoyed the succulent flesh of this fruit, they also tanned and used the rinds as a form of leather.

Lore and legends source: http://homecooking.about.com

Festa Italiana:

As much as I love to cook Italian food, I am, alas, not of Italian decent. And I was wondering what to bring to a virtual Italian festival?
I have no lovely memories of Italian childhood dishes. Mom, I remember your Creamette’s Brand Elbow Macaroni with Margarine and torn slices of melting American Cheese was actually pretty good…but, not quite the same as, say, Simona’s Pasta al Burro e Parmigiano.

So…I decided to make my own recipe, with ingredients that are possibly used in the Italian kitchen. Here it is: This is my contribution to the table at the upcoming FESTA ITALIANA hosted by Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita and Marie of Proud Italian Cook.

Grazie Molto! Thanks for inviting me 🙂

Happy to help clean up!