Moroccan Kefta & Yogurt Sauce

Recipe: Kefta with Yogurt Sauce

The other night we had the great pleasure of cooking all Mediterranean cuisine for MCSC members from Rosarito, Ensenada, Vegas, and San Diego,  but one of our guests went on and on about how much he loved kefta and how he grew up with Moroccan food and he would love to come back for a Moroccan night. So after getting a reservation of 14 guests requesting Moroccan "again" we have decided to add a dinner on June 8th with a Modern Moroccan menu.

 Kefta is fairly easy to make but you have to start with good ingredients. Always add a lot of garlic, shallots or onions, and cilantro to your ground beef, it adds crunchiness and of course flavor. In order for your meat to stick to the wooden or metal skewers always add an egg. To infuse your kefta with middle eastern flavors, remember to use good quality spices, like cumin, paprika, ginger, cinnamon...

To add some lightness and brightness to the meal, you can make a simple sheep’s milk yogurt sauce" Recipe below". You can also buy rustic bread but why not make your own? MCSC will be hosting a baking class in July, focusing on pizza dough, flat bread, and pita bread...stay tune for dates. 

Kefta

+ 3 lbs of ground lamb

+ 1 egg

+ 2 loose cups of parsley

+ 2-3 large shallots, cut into quarters

+ 12 cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled

+ 2 tbsp salt

+ 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

+ ½ tsp ground cumin

+ ½ tsp ground coriander

+ ½ tsp ground ginger

+ ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1. Put everything - except the lamb and egg - into a Cuisinart fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until it looks like a fine pesto.

2. In a large bowl combine the lamb, egg, and "pesto" until evenly blended, trying not to overwork the meat.

3. Form large balls with the mixture, about 1 ½ in diameter (between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball) and place them on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.

4. Place the meatballs in the center rack of the oven and turn on the broiler. Cook for 7 minutes and then turn the meatballs over. Cook for another 7 minutes. If you don't have a broiler, you can bake them at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Yogurt Sauce

+ 8 oz sheep's milk yogurt

+ 1 tsp ground cumin

+ ½ cup of diced parsley

+ a pinch of salt

Combine ingredients and serve with Kefta.

Serves 4 with leftovers