Kafta (Lebanese Lamb Skewers)

Adapted from Feast: Food of the Islamic World by Anissa Helou, which we reviewed in May 2020. Helou writes that she grinds the meat for her kafta — Lebanese lamb skewers — at home in a meat grinder, using lamb shoulder or leg. We tested her recipe using purchased ground lamb, and it was good; then we tried grinding the lamb at home, using meat from the leg, and it was out-of-this-world. The cooking method makes a difference as well: Done under the broiler, the kafta were excellent; cooked outside on the charcoal grill, they were stupendous.

The recipe also calls for Lebanese 7-Spice Mixture. We love Helou’s version and use it for lots of things, including tabbouleh. You can also use purchased baharat spice blend. Or you can omit, and add an extra pinch of allspice, cinnamon and pepper. Long, flat skewers hold the ground lamb mixture better than round ones.

Helou suggests serving the kafta on a bed of Onion and Parsley Salad and with flatbread. Our Lebanese friends tell us at home they’re always served on top of pita bread, and always with hummus. Here’s our Ultimate Hummus recipe, and here’s our easy cheater version.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 medium onion (about 7 ounces), quartered

1/2 bunch Italian parsley, most of the bottom stems discarded (about 1 ounce)

1 pound ground lamb

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Lebanese 7-spice mixture (sabe bharat, or baharat)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper (about 15 grinds)

Instructions

1. If you’re using bamboo or wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes.

2. Put the onions and parsley in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the ground lamb, then sprinkle the spices (allspice, cinnamon, Lebanese 7-Spice Mixture) and the salt and black pepper over the mixture, distributing it as evening as possible, and then mix well with your hands. (If you don’t do that, it’s difficult to make sure the saltiness is consistent.) Divide the meat into 8 equal portions.

3. Prepare a charcoal fire in an outdoor grill or heat the broiler to high.

4. Roll each portion of meat into a ball. Put one in the palm of your hand, take a skewer and start wrapping the meat around the skewer, squeezing it upward, then downward to bind it to the skewer in the shape of a long, flat sausage. Taper the ends and place on a rack ready to grill or broil. Shape the rest of the meat on the remaining skewers the same way.

5. Grill or broil the meat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until it is done to your liking. Serve hot.