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Sara
Even veal-free, these were delicious. A huge hit with the entire family
No veal available locally, so I subsituted an equal amount of ground chicken.
To shape them, I cut squares of parchment paper and squished each ball of meat out onto a square. This let me stack the big patties between the parchment as I finished them, and it also meant you could pick them up by the corners of the parchment, upend them onto the grill, and peel the paper off.
Ak veg
How does a recipe with pork unite all factions in the Balkans, when Muslims and Jews do not eat pork?
Knezamo
I'm Serbian/American from Milwaukee. I've been grilling and eating pljeskavika all my life. First skip the veal, nobody does that. We use ground lamb/beef/pork mix instead. Add Vegeta all purpose seasoning to taste in the meat mixture before you form the patties. Also finely diced Hungarian wax pepper or green anihiem pepper mixed with the meat adds a nice touch. Sedite I jedite!
bluesgroove
Sorry but Sam Sifton's Patty Melts beat this recipe big time
Kikisinthekitchen
Hard to explain if you've never been there
Alan Ford
To those who wonder how pork unites christians and muslims; it doesn’t. Pljeskavica is something we all eat, but if you go to a muslim-majority area, no, your pljeskavica will not have pork. Beef and lamb, yes. Best pljeskavicas are in Serbia and Bosnia, cevapcici in Bosnia. You can ignore all other former republics when it comes to these two local specialties.
ivona021
Nobody in the Balkans serves this pljeskavica in a thin pita bread. We serve it on a lepinja or a somun - approximately 1" thick 8" diameter bun, dough white and slightly fluffier than, but similar to ciabatta. For spread - definitively get good med. spicy ajvar (aka "red pepper spread" made in e.g. Serbia, Bulgaria...) and/or the heavenly Balkan version of clotted cream known as kajmak. Salad: grated cabbage or cucumber/tomato/onion. For diet preferences - lamb works instead of pork.
Alan Ford
To those who wonder how pork unites christians and muslims; it doesn’t. Pljeskavica is something we all eat, but if you go to a muslim-majority area, no, your pljeskavica will not have pork. Beef and lamb, yes. Best pljeskavicas are in Serbia and Bosnia, cevapcici in Bosnia. You can ignore all other former republics when it comes to these two local specialties.
Rae
Excellent recipe, made with 1 kg organic ground beef, and added 1/2 packet (approx 3-4 g) baking powder, a tip from the region. My husband (from the Balkans) was very happy with the result.
BDG
"Knezamo" mentions using Vegeta--this stuff is loaded with MSG and other chemically derived preservatives. Good ole' salt, pepper, & crushed red pepper (preference) is perfect. My father was a chef in Europe before immigrating to US Midwest. He was called upon by the Indiana/Illinois Serb communities to make these for their functions. Just pork and beef/veal is good; add lamb if preferred. No Vegeta needed--even the No-MSG version, which still has a lot of preservatives/chemicals.
Knezamo
I'm Serbian/American from Milwaukee. I've been grilling and eating pljeskavika all my life. First skip the veal, nobody does that. We use ground lamb/beef/pork mix instead. Add Vegeta all purpose seasoning to taste in the meat mixture before you form the patties. Also finely diced Hungarian wax pepper or green anihiem pepper mixed with the meat adds a nice touch. Sedite I jedite!
bluesgroove
Sorry but Sam Sifton's Patty Melts beat this recipe big time
Ak veg
How does a recipe with pork unite all factions in the Balkans, when Muslims and Jews do not eat pork?
Art
They could be united in their revulsion to this burger. That would be a common ground between them. That being said, as a non-regional resident, this does look like a great recipe, even without the pork. I think I will have to try this one out this week!
Kikisinthekitchen
Hard to explain if you've never been there
Matt
Read the article for context.
DK
I did this using my new sous vide. Put a finishing sear in the cast iron pan on the stove. Awesome!
Sara
Even veal-free, these were delicious. A huge hit with the entire family
No veal available locally, so I subsituted an equal amount of ground chicken.
To shape them, I cut squares of parchment paper and squished each ball of meat out onto a square. This let me stack the big patties between the parchment as I finished them, and it also meant you could pick them up by the corners of the parchment, upend them onto the grill, and peel the paper off.
stan
You can sub veal with lamb meat, which is widely used, but chicken is not it at all. The most important is the garlic, onions and hot and sweet paprika in the recipe. For a great taste use ajvar, if unavailable, you can prepare it as well, easy to do so.
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