Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nutritionist or professional chef. I do not provide nutritional breakdowns or carb counts with my recipes. Google is a great source for that if needed. Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Monday, March 10, 2025

Kofta Kebobs

 Credit for this dish goes to Chef John at allrecipes.com

In this recipe Chef John shares what is one of his all-time favorite things to grill. This is perfect for those times when you want to take a break from grilling burgers, but you also kinda want a grilled burger, since this is basically a Mediterranean-style meatball on a stick. We all know "shish" gets more love, but "kofta" might be the best kebab. Serve over a tomato, onion, and cucumber salad with flatbread or pita and a lemony tahini dressing or homemade tsatziki.

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices whole grain bread - toasted
  • 1 medium yellow onion - diced
  • 2/3 cup Italian parsley - chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 8 ounces ground lamb
  • 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 8 bamboo skewers - soaked for at least 1 hour

Preparation:

Gather all ingredients. Cut toasted bread slice into thin strips on a cutting board; cut strips across into a small dice.

Place onion, parsley, and garlic on top of diced bread on the cutting board; chop until mixture resembles tabbouleh.

Season beef and lamb with kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, paprika, cardamom, nutmeg, and Aleppo pepper. Add onion mixture and water. Mix and mash with your hands until well combined. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour, up to overnight.



Remove meat from the refrigerator and roll 1/8 of the mixture into a ball using wet hands. Pierce in the middle with a bamboo skewer. Shape meat into a uniform log, about 6 inches long and 2 inches wide. Make a total of 8 kebobs.


Meanwhile, preheat your grill to medium high. Spray the grill with cooking spray to prevent sticking.


Place kebabs on the hot grill until browned and cooked through, about 12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes or so. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a kebab should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

Serve over a tomato, onion, and cucumber salad with flatbread or pita and a lemony tahini dressing or homemade tsatziki.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!