Eastern European · Lunch · Dinner
Pljeskavica
Пљескавица (Pljeskavica)
Wide, thin Serbian patties of lean beef and pork seasoned with onion, garlic and paprika, grilled until smoky and tucked into warm whole-wheat flatbread with ajvar, fresh tomato and crunchy cabbage.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 41% · Fat 27% · Protein 32%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 300 glean ground beef (90% lean)
- 250 gextra-lean ground pork (96% lean)
- 1 large150 gonion, half finely grated and half thinly sliced
- 2 cloves6 ggarlic, minced
- 1 tspsweet paprika
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper, ground
- 3 tbsp45 gcold sparkling water
- 1 tsp5 golive oil
- 4 rounds256 gwhole-wheat pita or lepinja flatbread
- 4 tbsp60 gajvar (roasted red pepper relish)
- 2 medium240 gtomatoes, sliced
- 2 cups150 gwhite cabbage, finely shredded
- 2 tbsp30 gkajmak or cream cheese (optional)
Steps
- 1
Finely grate half the onion and thinly slice the other half; set the sliced onion aside for serving.
- 2
In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, grated onion, garlic, paprika, salt and black pepper.
- 3
Add the cold sparkling water and knead the mixture with your hands for 3–4 minutes until sticky and well bound.
- 4
Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes so the flavours meld and the meat firms up.
- 5
Divide the meat into 4 portions and press each between sheets of baking paper into a thin patty about 14 cm (5½ in) wide.
- 6
Heat a grill or griddle pan over medium-high heat and brush it lightly with the olive oil.
- 7
Grill the patties for 4–5 minutes per side until well browned and cooked through to 71 °C / 160 °F in the centre.
- 8
Warm the flatbreads on the grill for about 30 seconds per side.
- 9
Spread each flatbread with ajvar and the kajmak if using.
- 10
Add a patty to each flatbread and top with tomato, shredded cabbage and the sliced onion, then fold and serve.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use all lean ground beef instead of the beef and pork mix if you can only find one type of mince.
- Swap the kajmak for plain Greek yogurt for a lighter, tangy topping that is easy to find.
- Serve the patty on a large cabbage and tomato salad with ajvar instead of flatbread, and choose an ajvar labelled gluten-free if you need the meal to be gluten-free.
- Use ground turkey in place of the pork, chilling it well before shaping since it is softer, and cook the patties through to 74 °C / 165 °F in the centre.
Storage
Refrigerate cooked patties separately from the bread and fresh toppings within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. The assembled flatbreads are best eaten fresh, as they turn soggy.
Make ahead
Mix and knead the meat up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, or shape the patties between baking paper and chill until ready to grill. The cabbage and sliced onion can also be prepped a day ahead and kept in airtight containers.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenMilk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (367 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 437 kcal | 119 kcal |
| Protein | 36.1 g | 9.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 45.9 g | 12.5 g |
| of which sugars | 6.3 g | 1.7 g |
| Fiber | 7 g | 1.9 g |
| Fat | 13.5 g | 3.7 g |
| of which saturated | 4.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Sodium | 726 mg | 198 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
