I love to experiment with different cuisines, flavors, spices and techniques in the kitchen. Sometimes I’m trying to recreate something similar that we enjoyed at a restaurant or that I’ve seen on tv. And while I know it’s easy to follow a recipe, I love to try making it totally on my own. This brings us to my latest – lamb and beef kefka! I love Mediterranean food and I recently received these great grilling skewers as a gift from my sister…seems like a perfect storm, right? Grab your pitas and the typical fixings and give this one a try.

LAMB & BEEF KEFKA

Ingredients

• 1 Lbs. Ground Lamb
• 1 Lbs. Ground Beef
• 1/2 Cup Onion – finely diced
• 4 Cloves Garlic – minced
• 2 Tbs. Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 2 Tbs. Chopped Fresh Mint
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Pepper
• 1/2 Tsp. Ground Allspice
• 1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp. Ground Cumin

Instructions

• Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix well by hand. You can use leaner beef in this recipe, but I recommend 80/20 for the best taste.
• Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
• Remove mixture from refrigerator and separate into 3 or 4 equal portions.
• Using flat metal skewers (round ones will only cause the meat to spin when you try to turn them) form each portion of meat into a 7-8″ long tube. You’ll want these to be no more than 1 1/2″ inches thick and formed tightly around the skewer. They should be slightly flat rather than round for more even cooking.
• Grill skewers over medium-high heat 4-5 minutes per side or until your desired doneness.
• Remove meat from grill and serve immediately.

You can definitely eat the Kefka on its own with some butter & turmeric rice. However, I love putting these in warm pita with cucumber, tomato, onion and a dollop of harissa-spiced Greek yogurt. Either way, you’ll be transported to a far-away, and delicious, place. Dig in!