Kafta kebabs

With the warm weather starting to set in, it’s time to start your outdoor grilling season and experience the taste of Lebanon cuisine with these kafta kebabs. I don't know if you had the chance to taste kafta before, but you should try it as it requires ingredients that are easy to assemble.

Kafta is a Middle Eastern dish made by grinding meat, (preferably lamb), and mixing it with with spices. Kafta is known by a variety of other names including kefta, kofta, kufta, and qofte, and there are hundreds of variations on this dish, it can be baked, grilled or served in a pita bread.



Ingredients (serves 4): 2 lb (1 kg) lean minced meat (beef or lamb) - 1/2 tsp cumin - 1 tsp allspice - 1/2 cup chopped parsley - 2 onions, grated - 1 egg, lightly beaten - 1 tsp ground coriander - 2 garlic cloves - salt and pepper

Put the meat, onion, garlic, parsley, salt and spices in a food processor. Whizz until finely chopped and blended, then add the egg and whizz again until combined.
Thread onto skewers. Brush with oil and cook over a gentle barbecue for about 15 minutes, turning regularly until cooked through (you can grill them in the oven too). Serve with pitta bread, tzatziki, hummus and salad.

Brochettes de kafta

Ingrédients (4 personnes): 1 kg de viande finement hachée (bœuf ou agneau) - 1/2 càc de cumin - 1càc de quatre-épices - 1/2 tasse de persil haché - 2 oignons finement hachés - 1 œuf, legèrement battu - 1 càc de coriandre moulue - 2 gousses d'ail, finement hachées - sel et poivre

Dans un robot, mélangez la viande hachée, les oignons, le persil, l'ail, le sel, et les épices. Malaxez bien. Façonnez à la main des saucisses autour de pique à brochette. Faites griller au barbecue ou au grill du four, en les retournant régulièrement. Vous pouvez accompagner ces brochettes avec du pain pitta, du tzatziki , du houmous et de la salade.