Ćevapi — Balkan Meat Rolls with Ajvar and Onion

Finely grate the peeled garlic and place it in a large bowl with both portions of cold meat and all the salt and pepper. Stir the baking soda into all the cold sparkling water, pour it into the bowl and work the mixture by hand for approximately 5 minutes, scooping the meat up from the bottom and pressing it against the sides. It should become uniform, clearly cohesive and slightly sticky, with no loose liquid at the bottom; do not add eggs or breadcrumbs.

Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 4 hours. Let the mixture rest in the cold and keep it chilled until shaping so the rolls hold an even shape more easily.

Divide all the chilled mixture into 20 equal portions of approximately 45 g. With dry hands, shape firm rolls approximately 9 cm long and approximately 2.5 cm in diameter, gently pressing the ends together and smoothing any cracks; do not flatten them into patties. Arrange in a single layer on a tray lined with parchment paper, cover and refrigerate while you prepare the accompaniments and heat the pan.

Finely dice all the peeled onion and divide it among 4 plates, with 40 g on each. Add 50 g ajvar alongside on each plate, using all of it. Preheat a conventional oven (no fan) to 80°C and place an approximately 25 × 20 cm ovenproof dish inside; use it to keep the first cooked batch warm briefly.

Heat a heavy square grill pan approximately 28 × 28 cm, with a usable cooking surface of at least 24 × 24 cm, over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes. Take out 10 meat rolls and spread 5 g oil over their entire surface, transferring any oil left on your hands or brush onto the meat as well; keep the remaining 10 covered in the refrigerator. Do not grease the pan with extra fat and do not heat it until it smokes heavily.

Place the 10 oiled rolls in the hot pan in 2 rows, leaving space between them. Cook over medium heat for approximately 10–12 minutes in total, turning with tongs approximately every 2–3 minutes so they brown on every side; do not press them against the ridges, and lower the heat if the surface darkens too quickly. Transfer the thickest roll to a clean cutting board and cut it open with a clean knife: the meat must be hot and visibly steaming throughout the center, cooked through across the entire cross section, with no raw pink or translucent patches and with clear juices. If the center does not meet these conditions, return both halves to the remaining rolls and continue cooking over slightly lower heat for approximately 2–3 minutes, turning, then check again before removing the whole batch.

Transfer the fully cooked first batch, including the halves cut open for checking, to the warmed dish, cover loosely with aluminum foil and keep at 80°C only while the second batch cooks, usually approximately 10–15 minutes. Coat the remaining 10 raw rolls with the last 5 g oil and cook in the same pan for approximately 10–12 minutes, turning approximately every 2–3 minutes and checking the thickest one just as before; if needed, cook for approximately 2–3 minutes longer and check again. Both batches, including transferring and checking, will take approximately 25 minutes; use clean tongs to transfer the cooked meat.

Remove the first batch from the oven and divide all the ćevapi among the prepared plates, with 5 per serving; both halves of a roll cut open for checking count together as 1 roll. If meat juices have collected in the warming dish, divide them among the plates alongside the rolls. Leave the fat remaining in the pan's grooves to cool and discard it; do not pour it over the dish. Serve immediately with the reserved ajvar and raw onion.