Pljeskavica

Ingredients

Meat

• 500 gbeef chuck, 20 percent fat, minced coarsely
• 300 gpork shoulder, minced coarsely
• 200 glamb shoulder, minced (optional, for the Leskovac style)
• 1onion (120 g), grated to a pulp and the juice squeezed out
• 3garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
• 2 tspfine salt
• 1 tspcoarse black pepper
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 150 mlsparkling mineral water, ice cold

To serve

• 4lepinja (soft Serbian flatbreads), warmed
• 150 gkajmak
• 150 gajvar
• 100 gurnebes (spicy cheese and paprika spread)
• 1red onion, finely chopped
• Chopped chilli, to taste

Directions

1. Ask the butcher for a coarse single mince, or grind it yourself through a 6 mm plate. Fine supermarket mince gives a springy, sausage-like patty rather than the loose, juicy texture wanted here.
2. Squeeze the grated onion dry in a cloth and use the pulp only. Onion juice left in makes the mixture wet and the patty falls apart on the grill.
3. Mix the minces with the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and bicarbonate of soda, then work in the ice-cold mineral water a splash at a time, kneading with your hands for 6–8 minutes until the mass is sticky, glossy and holds together when you slap it.
4. Slap the mixture hard against the side of the bowl 20 or 30 times. This is not folklore: it develops the myosin that binds the patty and it is what every Serbian roštilj cook does.
5. Cover the surface directly with cling film and refrigerate 24 hours, ideally 48. The bicarbonate tenderises, the salt cures slightly, the flavour deepens and the mixture firms up. Freshly mixed pljeskavica is noticeably worse.
6. Divide into 4 pieces of about 250 g. With wet hands, flatten each into a disc 18–20 cm across and only 1 cm thick, wider than the bread it will sit in, since it shrinks.
7. Grill over hot charcoal, 5–6 minutes on the first side without moving it, until it releases cleanly and is deeply browned, then 4–5 minutes on the second side. Aim for just cooked through with the centre still juicy.
8. Split and warm the lepinja on the cooler side of the grill, pressing the cut face into the fat that has dripped onto the bars. This soaked, smoky bread is half the pleasure of the dish.
9. Spread kajmak inside the hot bread so it melts, sit the pljeskavica on it, and top with ajvar, urnebes, chopped raw onion and chilli. Eat immediately, in the hand.

Technique

• The 24 hour rest is the step home cooks skip and it is the one that matters most. It is what makes the difference between a Serbian pljeskavica and a hamburger patty.
• Bicarbonate of soda is standard in Serbian mince mixtures, in tiny quantity. It raises the pH so the meat holds water and stays juicy. More than 1 tsp per kilo and it tastes soapy.
• Do not press the patty on the grill. Every press squeezes out the fat and juice that were the point of the whole preparation.
• Leskovac in the south is the acknowledged capital of the dish and holds an annual Roštiljijada; Leskovačka pljeskavica is hotter, with chilli worked through the mince.

Substitutions

• No charcoal? A very hot cast-iron pan or a ridged grill pan works; get it smoking before the patty goes on and do not oil the meat.
• No kajmak? Clotted cream or a thick full-fat cream cheese loosened with a little sour cream approximates it, though it lacks the mature tang.
• Lepinja can be replaced by a soft pitta or a Turkish pide bread, warmed and split.

Variations

• Punjena pljeskavica, stuffed with kajmak and cheese, sealed between two thin patties.
• Leskovačka pljeskavica, with chilli and more onion, the spicy southern version.
• Šarska pljeskavica, filled with smoked cheese and cured meat.

History

Grilled minced-meat patty of Ottoman descent; Leskovac holds an annual grill festival and the town’s version is the best known.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pljeskavica?

Pljeskavica is a street food from Serbia: spiced grilled meat patty in lepinja with kajmak. Grilled minced-meat patty of Ottoman descent; Leskovac holds an annual grill festival and the town’s version is the best known.

How long does Pljeskavica take to make?

Pljeskavica takes 25 min plus 24 hr resting of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 large pljeskavice. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pljeskavica?

Yes, within limits. No charcoal? A very hot cast-iron pan or a ridged grill pan works; get it smoking before the patty goes on and do not oil the meat. No kajmak? Clotted cream or a thick full-fat cream cheese loosened with a little sour cream approximates it, though it lacks the mature tang. Lepinja can be replaced by a soft pitta or a Turkish pide bread, warmed and split.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pljeskavica?

Ask the butcher for a coarse single mince, or grind it yourself through a 6 mm plate. Fine supermarket mince gives a springy, sausage-like patty rather than the loose, juicy texture wanted here.