Mici

Method

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1. Put both minces in a large bowl with the garlic paste, bicarbonate of soda, salt, pepper, thyme, coriander, allspice and caraway.

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2. Beat with a wooden spoon or a mixer paddle, adding the cold stock in four additions, until every drop is absorbed and the mixture is smooth, pale and tacky. This takes 6 to 8 minutes.

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3. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 12 hours. This rest is the recipe.

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4. The next day, wet your hands and shape the mixture into fat sausages about 10 cm long and 3 cm thick. A piping bag with a wide plain nozzle gives the neatest shape.

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5. Chill the shaped mici for another hour.

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6. Get a charcoal grill or heavy griddle very hot and oil the bars.

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7. Grill 4 to 5 minutes a side, pressing gently once, until well charred and firm to the touch.

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8. Rest 3 minutes and serve piled up with mustard, white bread and pickled chillies.

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Chef’s Tips

• Overnight in the fridge. Without it there is no spring.
• Beat the stock in properly until the mince turns tacky.
• Very hot coals. Mici want char, not a gentle cook.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried thyme at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Pairing Suggestions

• Mustard and white bread
• A cold beer
• Pickled chillies

Storage & Reheating

The raw mixture keeps 2 days refrigerated. Shaped mici freeze 2 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.