Kafta Kababs

This recipe also comes from the book The Arab Table, mentioned in the shish kabab post. Kafta is basically just ground up meat that is mixed with spices and onion. Middle Easterners make kafta into meatballs, hamburgers and also grill it on flat skewers. To make kafta kababs you will need flat metal skewers.



I modified the recipe in the book The Arab Table by using an idea one of my Iraqi friends (not the guy from Kurdistan) gave me. When he makes his kafta he uses half lamb and half ground beef. I also adjusted some of the ingredients to make it balance more to our tastes.

Kafta

1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 yellow onion, very finely minced
1 T salt
1 t ground allspice
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground cardamom
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground beef

To make the onion and parsley right, just take 1/2 onion and the parsley and throw them in a food processor. Chop them up until they are very finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients to a large bowl and mash together with your hands until very well combined. Let "marinate" in the fridge for a few hours before using. You can freeze the rest if you have leftovers for use later.

Trick: I buy lamb in bulk from Sam's Club. I can get a 3 pound boneless leg of New Zealand lamb for about $10. When I bring it home I cut the meat up into lean cubes for making kababs. I take the leftover meats that are not suitable for making cubes and grind them up. I freeze everything in 1 pound batches and use them as needed. You should never throw any lamb away. Grind up the less desireable parts for other recipes like moussaka or kafta. You can even make a mean Bolognese sauce by adding ground lamb.