Where's the Beef? Right here, duh.
Kefta is a common Middle Eastern sausage or meatball. It’s the perfect “I’m too tired to cook” lazy food, but it’s really delicious and way more interesting than burgers or tacos. I always have a few pounds of ground beef in the freezer, and with a couple inexpensive and readily available ingredients, it’s a great penny-stretching meal. As a common street food all over the Middle East, I can only imagine it’s intended flavor and aroma. I would never claim this recipe to be “authentic”, as it’s derived from a number that I’ve used over the years. But it does have authentic ingredients, and it tastes delish.
Here’s what I use:
- 1.5-2lbs of ground beef (or lamb) – I buy the cheapest grind available, but purists like it lean
- 1 medium onion
- 1/2 c. chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 c. chopped cilantro (I’ve made this without parsley and only cilantro, and it’s works too)
- At least a good TBS of finely chopped garlic
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/2 TBS cumin
- 1 TBS garam masala (this makes it)
- 1 tsp sweet paprika (not smoked)
- a good bit of salt and pepper
What I do:
- Grate the onion on the finest side of the grater. Be sure to pour any and all onion juice into the meat. You can chop the onion, but you’d lack the juice. The juice is key.
- Add in all your spices and herbs, mix by hand until combined and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Let the meat come up to room temperature if it’s been in the fridge. Cold meat in a hot pan never works out well.
- When it’s nice outside, I like to shape the mixture around pre-soaked, wooden skewers and grill them.. But when it’ chilly out like it is today, I just shape them into sausage shapes and saute in a bit of olive oil, until cooked through. About 5-8 minutes, depending on the size.
Shape them however you want, balls, squares, bells, stars – doesn’t much matter. You could even put them in the oven if you’re really tired.
Serve ‘em up hot – maybe over some Jasmine rice and a bit of salad. Maybe on a Cuban roll. Maybe you want to stand over the sink and shove ‘em in your face. However you decide, just enjoy.
Oh, and the leftovers rock. So make extra!
