Yesterday I posted a recipe for tzatziki, that cucumber and sour cream side that mates blissfully with protein. Here’s a matching Middle Eastern treat: meat kebabs filled with both meat and spices. The meat flavor is not lost amidst all these ingredients, but there surely is a spice assault on your mouth. The Middle Eastern dedication to mint and cinnamon is something I find incredibly appealing.
No, Suzen and I do not have trees with cinnamon bark. But we do have mint, a large patch that has spread out from a few simple plants. It is a weed. We cannot control it. So we simply look for recipes that use it. Like this one.
If you are making this dish for a main course, you can be in portion control. If you present these as appetizers, then please do be sure to have made double what you think you might need. Because you will need all of them and more.
If you think potato chips are addictive, just spread these on your table and watch what happens.
Herbed Meat Kebabs from Balaboosta
Yield: serves 40
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Skewers
Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 375F.
Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well with your hands. Shape the ground beef mixture into well-formed balls (golf ball-sized) using your hands or use a small ice cream scoop. Brown them on all sides in canola oil in a skillet.
Then transfer them to an oiled sheet pan and baked them at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
If serving as a main course, or as an appetizer, you can optionally take 3 or 4 and skewer them before serving.
Source: Balaboosta by Einat Admony
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/5 for1/15th second at ISO‑3200