Grilled Kebab

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Ok, down to business. This recipe was really delicious and pretty easy peasy. John found the recipe here and it turned out pretty darn good! To go with the kebab, we also skewered some roma tomatoes and grilled them to perfection, and I made a saffron rice and yogurt sauce to go with them. (See end of post for rice recipe and yogurt recipe).

Ingredients (for kebab):

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped very fine
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, and leave for an hour to let the flavors blend. To make the kebabs, take small amounts of kefta (the beef) and shape them into cylinder or sausage shapes. Skewer the meat, squeezing it to mold to the skewer. You will need sword-skewers, and they can be purchased at your local Middle Eastern market.

Cook the meat (and tomatoes) over hot coals, about 5 minutes on each side (or longer until cooked through). Don't let the kebab dry out. Serve immediately. Grill tomatoes until the skins start to rip and some of the skin is charred.

Quick Saffron Rice: In a rice cooker combine rice and water and add a small pinch of saffron threads and 1/2 tsp tumeric. Stir together and let cook to perfection!

Yogurt Sauce: 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 cucumber (seeded and diced), 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp salt, a couple sprinkles of pepper, and a shake or two of dried dill.

Question of the Day:

Have you ever had Middle Easter kebab?