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Ćevapčići

Ćevapčići are small grilled meat sausages made from lamb, veal, pork, onion, garlic, paprika, pepper, nutmeg, and salt.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Clove and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,686 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Ćevapčići

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Mix all the ingredients, except the oil, thoroughly and roll the mixture into little "cigars" about 1 inch by 3 inches.

Cook and serve

  1. Rub lightly with olive oil and grill or broil until done.

  2. Serve with yoghurt sauce.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

727Calories
54 gProtein
50 gFat
15 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Lamb100g cooked294
Pork100g cooked242
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Cayenne1 tsp (1.8g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Vealnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,686 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Lamb + porktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together623 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

  5. Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together13,015 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Ground lamb
Provides the main meat flavour and fat, keeping the sausages juicy as they cook.
Ground veal
Adds a mild, tender texture that softens the blend of meats.
Ground pork
Contributes fat, which adds moisture and helps the cigars stay tender.
Grated yellow onion
Adds moisture and sweetness, and its juices help bind the meat mixture.
Hot hungarian paprika
Adds colour and a warm, smoky flavour that browns well on the grill.

The step that matters

Thorough mixing of the meat. Kneading the mixture well dissolves and distributes the salt and binds the proteins, so the cigars hold their shape and stay tender instead of crumbling on the grill.

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lamb, veal, pork, onion, clove, garlic, pepper):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Cuminfits better
  3. Parsleyfits better
  4. Nutmegthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lamb, veal, pork, onion, clove, garlic, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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