I wont lie, these little Olly’s cevapcici are probably my favorite product in the Olly’s range. Besides having a fun name, they’re seasoned beautifully and the first thing that hits you when you taste them is their classic middle-eastern flavour. This recipe is an homage to classic Middle-Eastern flavours with a fun, Mexican-inspired twist. It’s perfect for get-togethers with friends, since you can fill the table up with lots of different fillings and let everyone get creative with their own dinner.
This recipe has all the best parts of Middle-Eastern cuisine wedged between a homemade, soft flatbread taco. Do not let all the little bits and pieces of this recipe daunt you, they’re the fun part! Every component of the recipe is done in five minutes or les, so you can easily have everything ready in their own serving bowls before guests arrive. One thing I would recommend is getting the flatbread dough done and rolled out from beforehand, and cooking them on the grill right in front of your guests. They take two minutes to make and I cannot tell you how much better they taste hot off the grill. When cooking the cevapcici, I like to put them on a very hot grill pan and press them down slightly with the back of my spatula; this gives them beautiful grill marks and a deeper flavour. For a larger variety of fillings, you could chop up some fresh lettuce or cucumber, make some fresh hummus, or even re-purpose some left-over potato salad. Anything goes in these! Drizzle everything with some tangy, earthy lime tahini drizzle and you’re good to go.
Ingredients
1 packet Olly’s cevapcici
Red Cabbage:
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
Flatbread (makes 6)
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup water
¼ cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp garlic powder
Couscous
½ cup couscous + ½ cup water
1 tsp olive oil
½ tbsp tomato paste
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
salt and pepper
handful fresh coriander, shredded
Tahini-Lime Drizzle
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup tahini
juice of 1 lime
½ tsp honey
4 tbsp water
pinch cumin
½ tsp garlic powder
Method
1. Defrost cevapcici overnight in the fridge.
2. In a bowl, mix together the thinly shredded cabbage with a pinch of salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
3. For the flatbread, mix all ingredients in a bowl, using a wooden spoon until it forms a ball. Add more flour if necessary until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers when touched.
4. On a floured surface, portion the dough into 6 pieces. Using a rolling pin, form six thin circles of dough. Lay them flat, not touching, on a chopping board.
5. Heat up a heavy-bottomed pan on high heat until scorching hot. Brush lightly with olive oil and add the flatbread dough in. Cook for 2 minutes, until golden brown spots appear, then turn over and cook for an additional two minutes. Repeat for the rest of the flatbread.
6. Using the same pan, turn the heat to medium-low and add in 1 tsp olive oil. Then add in cumin and smoked paprika and allow to toast for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add in the tomato paste, salt and pepper, then the couscous and water. Take the pan off the heat and allow to sit for 6-8 minutes, until the couscous has absorbed all the water. Fluff with a fork and add in the fresh coriander. Transfer to a bowl.
7. In a bowl, mix together the tahini, olive oil, lime juice, honey, cumin, water and garlic powder until smooth. Add more water if you want the drizzle to be thinner.
8. Heat your grill to medium heat. Once hot, add your cevapcici and brush with olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes, then set aside.
9. To assemble, place a bed of couscous at the bottom of the flatbread, followed by some red cabbage, top with the cevapcici and drizzle the tahini lime drizzle on top. Serve.