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Kufta
Biblically Incorrect
I haven’t been cooking a lot lately, at least nothing interesting. In the past month and a half I’ve taught four classes, done three parties, and worked on a bunch of stuff for Cooking for Two and I just have haven’t felt like cooking for me.
But I got an urge for something middle-eastern the other day and did some searching. I finally decided to make kufta. It turns out kufta is roughly the same thing as kibbeh, but by searching on that name I found more variations and so more ideas. One idea I particularly liked and that appears to be Armenian in origin is layered with potatoes and tomatoes. However, the first version of this variation amused me to no end. It was a on site named Cooking with the Bible and the recipe was listed under King David’s Nuptials.
It’s strange to imagine King David eating a BLT with fries, even if the B is made with goat.
What amused me was the inclusion of tomatoes and potatoes, both foods that evolved in the New World and certainly wouldn’t have been available during King David’s time. To be fair, the site owners admit to including some modern foods in the recipes (and specifically mention tomatoes as an example). But still, it’s strange to imagine David eating a BLT with fries, even if the B is made with goat.
Kuftah
Serves 62 lb ground lamb
1 slice bread, crust removed
1/2 c milk
1 md onion
4 garlic cloves
1 c minced parsley
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mace
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp sumac
2 3-inch diameter potatoes
2 3-inch diameter tomatoesTurn on broiler. Soak bread in milk until all milk is absorbed, then mash into paste
Process parsley in a food processor. Dump in a large bowl with ground lamb and set aside. Process onion and garlic until very finely chopped. Add to bowl along with bread mixture. Add spices and mix gently until ingredients are well-combined.
Put mixture in a casserole dish and place under broiler until browned.
Remove from oven and reduce heat to 375F. Add a layer of potatoes to meat and cover with a layer of tomatoes. Cover casserole with aluminum foil and cook in middle of oven for 40 minutes.
Note: I discovered sumac a few weeks ago in this recipe.
Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | lamb | main dish | middle-eastern
11 Responses to “Kufta”
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Disclaimer: Most quantities in recipes are approximate. Adjust as needed according to your taste and experience. Unless otherwise specified, eggs are large and butter is unsalted.
Interesting dish; could Shepherd’s Pie have evolved from it?
The link for cooking for two doesn’t seem to be working and I’d really like a link for it since there are only two of us here most of the time.Thanks!Trish
Kelly,Very doubtful. I only found a one (repeated) reference to it. Cottage and shepherds pie have hundreds of references.Trish,Thanks for the catch and fixed. < HREF="http://cookingfortwo.about.com" REL="nofollow"/>.
I knew I would find this recipe if I looked over my shoulder, and here it is! Much to my delight. It looked scrumptious and I have a particular fondness for all foods from the Middle east. Thanks for the recipe and it’s on my cooking schedule for July. Yep, good eating—no doubt.
Donna,Yup, good stuff.
OK, the potato-tomato thing is weird… but kufta are so delicious. My neighborhood in Boston used to have a large Lebanese community, with several restaurants that served kufta, kibbeh, chicken skewers, pilafs, etc. I do love that type of cooking.
Lydia,Yeah, but tasty.
Hey Kevin, we just had your kufta variation and it is wonderfully great. We plan to make it again for the 4th of July.I grow up in Jordan and every time my mom would make Kufta she would layer it with potatoes and tomatoes. Few times she made it with tahina sauce. I don’t know how the tomato/potato thing started in Jordan, but it’s been done that way for as long as I could remember. Tomatoes are a main ingredient in many middle-eastern food, so I guess they’ve been there for very long. Potatoes on the other hand are brought in from Europe and fairly new to the area so there aren’t many native recipes that use potatoes.Thanks for the wonderful recipe :)-Nisreen
Nisreen,I’m glad you liked it. Both potatoes and tomatoes were introduced to the Old World by the Spanish in the 16th century.
Great variation here, Kevin – I just made a Greek-inspired kofta about two weeks ago that was delicious. It is astonishing to realize how many of what we take for granted as everyday foods – not just tomatoes and potatoes but maize (corn), all the different varieties of bell and chile pepper, and so much more – didn’t exist in our diet until the voyages to the New World.
Jack,And how widespread they’ve become — imagine Thai food without capsicum!