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Cypriot sheftalia
Σεφταλιά (sheftalia): Cypriot pork and herb sausages wrapped in caul fat and grilled over charcoal
This is a pork recipe. Sheftalia are the little skinless sausages you find on every souvla barbecue in Cyprus, from Limassol beach grills to Sunday family gatherings in Nicosia gardens. Minced pork is mixed with onion, parsley and mint, wrapped in lacy caul fat and grilled slowly so the fat melts and bastes the meat. They come tucked into a large pitta with salad, lemon and tahini. Ask a butcher for caul fat (sometimes called lace fat); without it you can still shape the mix into thick sausages and grill them on an oiled rack. Chef's tip: soak the caul fat in warm, lightly vinegared water first; it becomes supple and stretches without tearing.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the sheftalia
To serve
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak the 7 oz pork caul fat in a bowl of warm water with the 1 tbsp white wine vinegar for 10 minutes, then rinse gently and lay it out on a clean board.
10 minStep 2: Squeeze the chopped 1 onion in a clean cloth to remove its juice. Mix it with 1 ⅓ lb pork mince (20% fat), 1 oz fresh flat-leaf parsley, 1 tsp dried mint, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper and knead for 2 minutes until sticky. Wash your hands and board well afterwards.
5 minStep 3: Divide the mix into 12 and shape each into a fat sausage about 8 cm long. Cut the caul fat into rectangles roughly 12 × 15 cm and roll each sausage up in one, tucking the ends under. Chill for 30 minutes to firm up.
40 minStep 4: Light a barbecue and let it burn down to medium coals, or heat a griddle pan over a medium heat. A common mistake is grilling over fierce heat; the caul burns before the middle is cooked, so keep the heat moderate.
10 minStep 5: Grill the sheftalia for 15–20 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the caul has melted into a crisp golden skin. They are done when the centre reaches 160°F and is no longer pink.
20 minStep 6: Rest for 3 minutes. Split the 4 large pitta breads, fill with 3 sheftalia each, add 10 ½ oz shredded cabbage, tomato and cucumber salad, a squeeze of 1 lemon and 4 tbsp tahini sauce if you like.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cypriot sheftalia take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh flat-leaf parsley?
- Curly parsley or coriander, same amount.
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