KEFTE (kofta)
Try serving kefte in toasted pita pockets lined with hummus, and stuffed with your favorite fillings like sliced cucumber & tomato, kalamata olives, feta, sliced red onion, alfalfa sprouts, and avocado topped with tzatziki or your favorite Italian vinaigrette.
Servings27 pieces
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time8 mins
Ingredients
- 1-1/2lbs ground beef or lambor a combination of both
- 1/2cup white oniongrated (or 1 small onion)
- 1/3cup tahini
- 2tsp cloves garlicground to a paste with 1kosher salt
- 1/2tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2tsp cumin
- 2tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a 1/2 sheet pan with aluminum foil, fit with a rack.
- Peel and chop 2 cloves of garlic, top with 1 teaspoon salt. In a back and forth motion against the flat side of a kitchen knife, rub garlic and salt into a paste.
- On a box grater, grate one small onion, retain with juice.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef (and/or ground lamb), tahini, grated onion, lemon juice, garlic-salt paste, cinnamon, and cumin.
- With impeccably-clean hands, knead meat and spice mixture together until thoroughly combined.
- Divide meat mixture into 27 one ounce balls. Roll balls into a 2-1/2 inch “cigars” and place on rack.
- Bake in preheated 400 degrees oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until just pink in the center when pierced with a small knife. (Or desired doneness)
Tzatziki
Incredibly zesty, tzatziki is traditionally served as a dip for pita & flatbreads, chips & crudités, sandwiches, and with roast lamb, and on fish & steamed vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1pint Greek yogurt
- 1/2cup English cucumbershredded (about half a cucumber)
- 1/4cup fresh dill weedminced (or 1 tsp dried dill)
- 2tsp cloves garlicground to a paste with 1/2salt
- 1tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4tsp ground white pepper
- 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Against a box grater, grate cucumber into a bowl.
- With clean hands, strongly squeeze shredded cucumber to release all the liquid. Place pressed cucumber into a medium-sized bowl. Discard (or drink) cucumber juice.
- Peel and chop 2 cloves of garlic, top with 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a back and forth motion against the flat side of a kitchen knife, rub garlic and salt into a paste, add to the shredded cucumber.
- To the cucumber-garlic mixture, mix in Greek yogurt, minced (or dried) dill, lemon juice, olive oil, and ground white pepper.
- Taste, and adjust salt if necessary.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is the perfect accompaniment to richly seasoned & grilled meats, like lamb, mutton, kefte (kofta) and chicken. Or as a side to your favorite sandwich. Add bay shrimp or crabmeat for an outstanding stand alone seafood salad (see Notes below.)
Servings12 servings
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Passive Time1 hour
Ingredients
- 3cups curly-leaf parsleywashed & trimmed of stems, and mince (flat-leaf/Italian is not suggested here)
- 1-1/2cups English cucumberpeeled & diced
- 1-1/2cups tomatodiced
- 1cup fresh mintminced
- 1cup red oniondiced
- 1cup scallionssliced
- 3/4cup red bulgar(burghul, medium #2)
- 1/2cup lemon juiceapprox. 3 lemons
- 1/3cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2tsp cloves garlicground to a paste with 1/2salt
- 1tsp sea salt
- 1/4tsp ground black pepper
- 6cups waterfor boiling
Instructions
To Prepare Tabbouleh
- Boil 6 cups water with 1 tsp sea salt.
- While the salted water comes to a boil, rinse red bulgar with cold water 5 times, or until water runs clear. To rinse, place bulgar in a medium-sized bowl, place under faucet, and cover with water, stir bulgar through water, slowly pour water out, leaving bulgar at the bottom of the bowl, repeat 4 more times, or until water runs clear. Leave rinsed bulgar in bowl, set aside until the water has come to a boil.
- Pour boiling water over rinsed bulgar, stir to distribute, cover bowl with a plate or plastic wrap, and let sit 35 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the Tabbouleh Dressing, and prep the vegetables - dice the cucumber, tomato, and onion, and slice the scallions. Add to a large bowl, and set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the curly-leaf parsley and fresh mint for 30 seconds to a semi-course mince, add to the diced vegetables, toss with Tabbouleh Dressing.
- Strain cooked bulgar through a fine sieve, pressing with clean hands or a large wooden spoon, add strained bulgar to the parsley-vegetable mixture. Toss well to distribute.
- Cover tabbouleh with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to 24 hours) to marinate. Serve chilled or room temperature.
Prepare Tabbouleh Dressing
- Peel and chop 2 cloves of garlic, top with 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a back and forth motion against the flat side of a kitchen knife, rub garlic and salt into a paste, add to a small bowl. Mix in lemon juice, olive oil, and ground black pepper, mix well.
- Pour over prepared vegetables as stated in Step 5 in the Prepare Tabbouleh instructions above.
Recipe Notes
Red Bulgar (burghul) is made from the cracked parboiled groats of durum wheat, and is often used in Middle Eastern cuisine, and can be found in Middle Eastern markets, specialty stores, and online. I use Ziyad brand ‘Red Burghul Medium #2’. You may find it HERE.
Tabbouleh Seafood Salad
For a delicious seafood salad:
Prepare Tabbouleh recipe above.
Fold in 2 large cubed (and slightly firm) avocados, 1/2 lb. tiny cooked bay shrimps, 1/2 lb. cooked lump crabmeat, 1/3 lb. cooked & shelled mussels. (All available at the fish counter), toss and serve over whole butter or iceberg lettuce leaves. Serves 12.