Ražnjiči (Pork Skewers)

by Irina Janakievska

Pork Gluten Free Dairy Free

4.3

60m prep time
70m total time
Easy level
12 ingredients

In Serbian and Croatian, ražanj means a barbecue spit or skewer, so ražnjiči are meat skewers or kebabs, and are our equivalent to the better-known Greek souvlaki or Turkish şaşlık. There are many variants and different meats can be used to make them, but typically they are made from veal or pork or a mix of both, and are nothing more complicated than very good quality meat, grilled over live fire, salted and served with sliced onions. My version takes inspiration from the Balkan autumn (fall), always abundant with fruits: quinces, pears, medlars, apples and, the most highly prized of all, prune plums. Plums are used plentifully in the Balkan kitchen, both fresh and dried (or otherwise preserved), especially with meat dishes. I like to imagine a warm autumn sun setting, rows of ražnjići on a rostilj set up in the middle of the orchard, plumes of smoke caressing the now-naked apple or plum trees stripped of their fruit, the scent of the meat taunting everyone while they sit and rest a little from the harvest, eagerly awaiting some much-needed sustenance, and relaxing with a fortifying glass of šljivovica (plum brandy).