Vegetarian rice and vegetable cevapcici

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g short grain rice
• 250 g zucchini
• 150 g carrot(s)
• 1 tomato(s)
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 4 eggs
• 400 g breadcrumbs, maybe a little more
• 1 cube of vegetable stock
• salt and pepper
• Paprika powder
• 6 tbsp herbs, chopped (e.g. thyme, basil, coriander, parsley)
• Oil for frying

Instructions

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

Cook the rice in salted water. Add the vegetable stock cube and 1 teaspoon of paprika. Quarter the tomato and add only the soft core to the rice water and let it cook. The paprika and tomato will give the rice a more beautiful color later. Cut the rest of the tomato into very small cubes. Finely dice the onion. Chop the zucchini and carrots in a food processor (or slice them into very fine strips). If the mixture is very moist, place it in a tea towel and squeeze out any excess water. If using very large zucchini, it helps to remove the core before grating to prevent the mixture from becoming too wet. Mix the grated vegetables, rice, diced tomatoes, and eggs together, season with pepper, salt, plenty of paprika, and the finely chopped herbs. Gradually add the breadcrumbs until you have a dough that’s easy to shape. Form small “cevapcici” rolls and coat them in breadcrumbs. Fry in oil until golden brown all over. This recipe yields approximately 24-30 rolls. You can also form 10-12 burgers from the mixture. However, with cevapcici, the fried surface is larger, making them crispier. Serve with a quark dip and a green salad. Tip: Instead of breadcrumbs, you can also use sesame seeds for the breading. The finished vegetable rolls can also be placed on the grill to heat up. They’re a great preparation for barbecues where vegetarian options are also requested.