Lamb & cayenne kefta

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Stephen Ceideburg
1 pounds Lean ground lamb
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon Ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Ground cloves
1 teaspoon Ground allspice
1 teaspoon Ground ginger
1 teaspoon Ground cardamom
½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon Ground cumin
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
Pita bread
Low-fat yogurt
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cooked rice (optional)

Directions

Keftas, from North Africa, are meatballs prepared with ground lamb or beef and a number of herbs and spices. They appear in a variety of dishes, such as stews, and also as brochettes hot off the charcoal grill. The seasonings range from chili to cinnamon and usually include a Moroccan favorite, fresh mint. These keftas are delicious served with pita bread, low-fat yogurt, tomatoes and lettuce or with cooked rice. Note: If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes.

Combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Shape into 30 1½-inch meatballs and thread them on six skewers. (You may slightly flatten them to make sausage shapes or leave them as balls.)

Prepare a gas grill or charcoal fire. Grill for 3 minutes on each side, or just until no longer pink inside. Alternatively, broil the meatballs for 2 minutes on each side.

176 CALORIES PER SERVING: 15 G PROTEIN, 12 G FAT, 3 G CARBOHYDRATE; 227 MG SODIUM; 0 MG CHOLESTEROL.

Adapted from The Whole Chile Pepper Book by Dave De Witt and Nancy Gerlach. Copyright 1990 by Dave DeWitt and Nancy Gerlach. Reprinted by permission of Little, Brown and Company (Inc).

Posted by Stephen Ceideburg

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