Thinking back, I cannot recall what I was looking for when I happened upon this recipe as I had never heard of kefta, nor do I cook with beef or lamb often, if at all. How fortunate, as this dish is both easy to make and tasty. If you, like me, never heard of kefta, the recipe as published gave this description:

Kefta, seasoned ground meat, is one of Morocco’s most popular street foods. Traditionally, kefta is washed down with a glass of sweet mint tea.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces ground beef, 90%-lean or leaner
  • 8 ounces ground lamb
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1 small onion, quartered
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 8 pitted green olives
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • Harissa, for serving

Preparation

Place beef, lamb and lemon juice in a large bowl. Gently combine until incorporated. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Transfer the meat to a colander and press to squeeze out excess moisture. Place onion, garlic and olives in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add to the marinated meat along with oil, cilantro, parsley, 1 tablespoon cumin, salt and pepper. Gently combine until evenly incorporated.

Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack on it. Using about 3 tablespoons of the meat mixture for each, form 12 thin patties, about 2 1/2 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. Place on the wire rack. Broil the patties until brown and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with additional cumin and harissa, if desired.

 

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes (includes marinating time).

Makes 4 servings, about 3 kefta each. Nutritional information per serving: 354 calories; 25 g fat (7 g sat, 14 g mono); 90 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrates; 26 g protein; 1 g fiber; 607 mg sodium; 385 mg potassium.

from “Kefta,” Eating Well.