Cefalù – Sicilian Norman pot

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g minced beef or lamb
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 small egg(s)
• 4 carrots
• 2 parsley roots
• 1 large onion(s)
• 5 m.-sized potatoes
• 1 bell pepper(s)
• 1 jar red wine
• 2 glasses of vegetable juice
• 1 beetroot
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp lemon oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 pinch(s) spice mix (couscous spice)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Knead the minced meat, egg, a little salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs into a sausage meat mixture. Roll the mixture into sausages and cut off pieces. For the lazy: Cut the cevapcici into pieces. Chop the onions. Fry the meat pieces without oil. Add the onion and, when the meat is well-cooked, stir everything together. Meanwhile, chop the carrots and add them. If necessary, fry the pieces a little longer with the meat and onions. Add a glass each of vegetable juice and red wine, deglaze the mixture, and simmer over low heat. Dice the parsley root and beetroot, add them, and continue simmering. After about five minutes, add the diced potatoes. Dice the bell pepper and add them as well. Top up the stew with vegetable juice if desired. Press in two cloves of garlic. Add the lemon oil and stir. Let the stew rest a little over low heat/residual heat. Season the dish with salt, pepper, and a little couscous seasoning. It’s a hearty dish reminiscent of Norman rule in the Mediterranean. Sicilian friends really surprised me with this unusual dish.