Picky eater children. They are the bane of my existence. I can't tell you how many times I made a recipe thinking to myself, "Self, these picky kids are going to love this!" Ha! It's like they live just to prove me wrong.
A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to spice things up....in the kitchen. I had ground beef defrosting in the fridge and decided to attempt to make some kefta kebabs. Kefta (or kofta or kifta) literally means grounded or pounded and refers to ground meant that is seasoned with spices. A variation of it can be found in most of the Mediterranean region.
You really would be surprised at how incredibly easy this recipe is. Thank you www.themediterraneandish.com for providing an incredibly easy recipe to follow.
A couple of quick notes before we dive in. You don't have to use lamb. I have only used it about half of the times because it's a bit hard to find in a small amount. I also didn't find sumac until very recently and I still thought it tasted great.
The recipe is all about spices. Aromatic, subtle and vibrant spices.
Add some basics - onion, garlic and parsley..
and blend everything together in the food processor. The result is a smooth mixture with well blended spices and flavor. From here, you can either use skewers or just roll the meat out into long hot dog like logs and grill on a hot grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. I've also just made hamburger patties from this mixture to switch up our basic burgers.
Give this recipe a try. Go crazy and try serving it to your kids! You never know--they might end up loving it like mine do!
Makes about 10 kebabs
Ingredients:
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves
1 whole bunch of parsley, stems removed
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 pound of ground lamb
1 slice of bread, toasted and then soaked in water
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground green cardamom
1/2 tsp ground sumac
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp paprika
If using wooden skewers, soak in water for about an hour. Oil grates of grill and preheat on medium high for about 20 minutes.
In a food processor, chop onion, garlic and parsley. Add the beef, lamb, bread (with water fully squeezed out) and spices and combine thoroughly.
Transfer mixture into a large bowl. Take a fistful at a time and form around a skewer or into a long hot dog shape. Kebabs should be approximately 1 inch thick.
Start adding kebabs to grill and grill on medium high heat for 4 minutes before turning and grilling for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
Serve with pita, tahini, rice or even chop it up and layer it onto a crisp salad. There are so many ways to eat this flavorful dish.
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