LAMB KEFTA PLATTER

One of my favourite things to order at Middle Eastern restaurants is the lamb kefta platter, with rice, garlic sauce, and a tangy, refreshing salad. This recipe was born when I was working from home, craving Middle Eastern take out and my usual lamb kefta, and there was no place nearby for me to actually go out and get it on my lunch break.

The kefta is seasoned with warm spices like cumin, coriander and smoked paprika, which makes it really flavourful and comforting. If you're making this, don't skip the smoked paprika! If it’s not in your pantry, go out and get it! It is life changing! It’s only after I got it, did I realize what I’ve been missing out on!

Makes 3-4 servings

Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Lamb Kefta:

-½ red onion, roughly chopped

-3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

-⅓ cup parsley, roughly chopped

-3 thai green chilies, roughly chopped

-1 tbsp cumin

-1 tsp ground coriander

-½ tsp ground cinnamon

-1 tsp smoked paprika (gives it a nice smoky flavour!)

-1 tsp zaatar (or sub a little dried oregano, thyme, and sesame seeds)

- 1lb of ground lamb (I used 80/20)

-1- 1 ½ tsp salt

-pepper to taste

Garlic Sauce:

-3 tbsps of plain yogurt -2 tbsps of mayo -2 garlic cloves, minced -1/2 tsp dried parsley -1 tbsp of lemon juice

-salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

For the lamb kefta:

1. In a food processor, add the onion, garlic, parsley, green chilies and pulse until it is finely chopped.

2. In a large bowl, add the ground lamb, the mix from the food processor, and all the spices.

3. Mix until well combined, but don’t over-mix! This will cause your kefta to be tough!

4.Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Once hot, add a some oil to coat the pan. The lamb will release fat when it cooks, so you don’t need a lot of oil.

5. Shape the lamb into patties (I rolled them into balls first, and then flattened them out until they were ½ inch thick).

6. Place the patties into the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Don’t move them around! This will give the patties a nice crust.

For the garlic sauce:

Combined all the ingredients in a bowl, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

On the serving platter:

-lamb kefta

-brown rice

-whole wheat pita

-tabouli (parsley, cucumber, tomato, red onion, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper)

-garlic sauce

-sprinkling of pomegranate

Notes: If you can't find ground lamb, any other ground meat will work.

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