Ražnjici with Djuvec rice and Ajvar

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 850 g pork neck in one piece
• 2 garlic cloves
• 50 ml olive oil
• 75 ml white wine, dry, Croatian
• 1 tbsp, str. Allspiceón de la Vera or picante
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp peppercorns, colored or black, freshly ground
• 1 tbsp, heaped marjoram or oregano, dried
• 1 tbsp, stripped thyme, dried
• 250 g peas, frozen or fresh, split
• 2 red bell peppers or 4 red pointed peppers, approx. 360 g
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g long grain rice
• 600 ml vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp ajvar
• 4 sprigs of marjoram or oregano
• Olive oil for frying and for the skewers

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 13 hours 5 minutes

You’ll need 4 metal skewers for this dish. For the ražnjici, peel and chop the garlic clove. In a bowl, mix a marinade with olive oil, white wine, chopped garlic, pimentón de la Vera, salt, pepper, marjoram or oregano, and thyme. Rinse the pork neck, pat dry, and cut into pieces about 5 cm long and 2 cm thick. Toss the pieces with the marinade and let it marinate, covered, in the refrigerator, ideally overnight, stirring the meat occasionally. For the djuvec rice, thaw the frozen peas in a sieve. Halve, trim, rinse, and finely dice the bell peppers. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the bell peppers. Then add the rice and deglaze with the vegetable stock. Stir in the ajvar, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Add the peas about 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Brush a grill pan with a little olive oil. Brush the metal skewers with a little olive oil as well. Remove the meat pieces from the marinade, pat dry if necessary, and place them on the oiled metal skewers. Heat the oiled grill pan and fry the meat skewers vigorously for about 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Rinse the marjoram or oregano, shake dry, and pluck the leaves from the stems. Serve the meat skewers with the Djuvec rice and sprinkle with the marjoram or oregano leaves. Serve with burek, ajvar, and tzatziki, along with a fresh mixed salad.