Kefta

Kefta or Kofte (depending on the country) is a very popular meatball in the Middle East. Its name means "hand" due to the elaboration process, which is very easy to prepare, as you will see.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

 Ingredients: (for 3 persons)

500 grames ground beef
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
20 grames pine nuts (peeled, obviously)
Cayenne pepper
Paprika
Ground black pepper
Ground cumin
A pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tomatoes
Parsley
Olive oil
Salt

Preparation:

1. Cut 1/4 of the onion, the garlic cloves and the pine nuts in very little pieces (or even grated). You can use a mixer.

2. Put me mixture in a bowl with the ground beef and all the spices: Salt, 25 ml of olive oil, a pinch of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon paprika, a pinch of ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, a pinch of ground cinnamon and parsley.

3. Mix it all with the hands until you get a homogeneus mixture.  Let it settle for 20 minutes.

4. Make little meatballs. If you want to make it more traditional, you can give it a long shape (like a sausage) and skewer them in a brochette. If you have enought time let them settle in the fridge for an hour, if not, don't worry, the kefta will be great anyway.

5. While the meatballs are in the fridge, put some olive oil in a pan, cut the rest of the onion and add it to the pan once the oil is hot.

6. When the onion is starting to get ready add the tomatoes (first, cut them in small squares) and a bit of water (the amount of water depends on how much sauce you want to do). Add some salt, a teaspoon of ground black pepper, a teaspoon of ground cumin, a teaspoon of paprika, stir it all and let it cook until the tomatoes are mushy.

7. Once the sauce is ready, add the meatballs and cook them until they get ready.

*As it is a dish from the Middle East I have prepared it with beef as it is usual there, but you can try it with other meats.

Enjoy it! يتمتع بها!