In preparation for a Father's Day tailgate party at a polo match out on the North Shore, I decided to try these beef kebabs that sounded so easy to make and so delicious! And yes, they were delicious! We usually have pasta, pork chops, chicken for dinner, so I thought this would add to our dining repertoire.
I could not find Aleppo pepper, but was advised by a nice gal in the gourmet food section that it was similar to either sweet paprika or chili powder. I had a bottle of regular paprika at home, so used one tablespoon of that and one tablespoon of chili powder. I also used fresh mint, tripling the portion.
Kafta (Lebanese Beef Kebabs) (Saveur)
Makes 22 Skewers (soaked in water for 1/2 hour)
8 oz. ground beef chuck (I used ground hamburger)
2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp. finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp. Aleppo pepper (I used paprika and chili powder)
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
3/4 tsp. dried mint
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 medium yellow onion, grated, drained in a strainer
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Build a hot charcoal fire in a grill. In a large bowl, stir together beef, parsley, tomatoes, Aleppo, allspice, mint, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, onions, salt, and pepper. Form 1 tbsp. beef mixture each around the end of 22 skewers; grill, turning, until lightly charred, about 4 minutes.
As an accompaniment to the kebabs, I searched for a recipe that would allow me to use up all of the sun dried tomatoes, parsley, and mint that I bought to make the kebabs. I did a Google search and came up with the quinoa tabbouleh recipe below. It was a perfectly delicious marriage.
Sun-dried Tomato Quinoa Tabbouleh
Serves 4
Ingredients
Quinoa
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Salad
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 – 10 sun-dried tomatoes, re-hydrated (if oil-packed, remove excess oil), finely chopped
1 cup fresh curly leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
1/2 cucumber, diced small, optional
Method
- Rinse quinoa and drain. In a medium stock pot over high heat, bring quinoa, water and salt to boil; reduce to simmer until quinoa grains become fluffy with germs separated and water is absorbed (about 15 – 20 minutes). Drain off excess water and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, allspice, salt, pepper and garlic; whisk well. Add, cooled quinoa, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, onion, mint and cucumber. Mix well.
- Serve room temperature or chilled with Romaine lettuce leaves, pita bread triangles and/or hummus.
