The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden

Author:Claudia Roden [Roden, Claudia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Cooking, Middle Eastern, Regional & Ethnic, Middle East, General, Cookery, History
ISBN: 9780375405068
Publisher: Knopf
Published: 1985-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

RIDDLE:

It is red like blood;

it burns like fire. What is it?

ANSWER:

Red pimento

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

1 pound tomatoes, peeled and chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1 thin pita bread

Ground-lamb kofta mixture, as in preceding recipe (page 238), with the same amount of meat

2½ cups plain whole-milk or thick strained yogurt (see page 110), at room temperature

1 teaspoon paprika

2-3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted or not

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish (optional)

Put the tomatoes in a pan with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt, pepper, and sugar, and cook over medium heat until they soften.

Toast the pita bread until it is crisp, then break it into small pieces.

Shape the ground-lamb kofta into 12 or 16 small burgers. Cook them under the broiler, turning them over once, until they are brown outside but still pink inside.

In each individual bowl, put a quarter of the toasted bread, cover with a quarter of the tomato sauce, and top with a layer of yogurt. Mix the paprika with the remaining oil and dribble over the yogurt, then sprinkle with pine nuts. Arrange the meat burgers on top. If you like, garnish further with chopped parsley.

Brochettes de Kefta

Ground Meat Kebabs

Serves 8, with 16 skewers Moroccans call their diminutive kebabs brochettes, in the French manner. The streets of Fez are dotted with little braziers of glowing charcoal over which turn wood or metal skewers heavy with tiny pieces of meat, liver, or kefta, enveloping passersby with their irresistibly enticing aromas. Many spices are used in the kefta, but so discreetly that you can hardly guess what has gone in.

2 pounds lamb, finely ground

2 onions, grated

3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon cinnamon Salt and pepper

¼ teaspoon ground chili pepper (optional)

Mix finely ground meat with onions, herbs, and seasonings, and knead vigorously until very smooth and pasty. Wet your hands and divide the meat into 32 egg-sized lumps. Press them firmly around small, square-bladed skewers, two on each skewer, and form into thin sausage shapes. Cook over charcoal or under the broiler for 4-5 minutes, until done, turning over once. Be careful not to overcook, as the meat dries out quickly. Serve at once with bread.

Variations

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.