Beef Kofta Kebab

Starting Ingredient: Lemon Greek Dressing Mix


When I moved back to Iowa, I took it upon myself to clean off the kitchen counters in my parents house. To make room, I had to clean out the old out of date spices, some of which are old enough to have what I would consider antique containers. I came upon a wealth of mixes, spices, and liquids that I knew would come in handy given the right ingredients. One that hit me was a greek dressing mix, which I used with lemon, olive oil and dijon mustard to make a snazzy dressing that I've been eating on my salads for a week now.

I always see a salad as a companion to a good main course, so I thought I might make a turkish type of kebab. I looked up kofta, dressings, and other stuff, and decided to make a beef kebab, not lamb like the recipes suggested which would make the dish so much richer but also not as good for you. What a came up with was as follows.

Ingredients:

Beef Kofta Kebab:
1 lb 80/20 ground chuck
Olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion diced
1 egg
1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs
1 tbsp fennel seed
Some garlic powder
Some onion powder
Salt/Pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp parsley chopped or flakes
1 tbsp dry mint (*this makes the dish)
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Yogurt Dressing:
1 6 oz. yogurt-plain
1 half lemon juice
A squirt of olive oil
Salt/Pepper
Greek dressing mix (includes basil, oregano, and most importantly mint)

Pita Bread:-grilled

Salad:
Washed romaine and arugula
Chopped fennel
Kalamata olives
Cherry tomatoes-cut in half
Green pepper-chopped

Greek Salad Dressing:
Olive oil-3 parts
Lemon juice-1 part
White balsamic vinegar-1 part
Salt/Pepper
Greek Dressing Mix-includes dry basil, oregano, mint and parsley

The meal is pretty simple actually. Mix all ingredients in the meat. Form that around metal or soaked wooden skewers. If it's not dry enough, add a little more breadcrumb. This should make 5 to 6 skewers. Grill it til your preferred done-ness.

Combine the yogurt ingredients. Mix and you're done.

Make the salad with everything fresh you have on hand. Salads aren't about certain ingredients, though fresh veggies, a marinated item (olive, tomato, artichoke heart), and a good cheese make every salad a success.

Toast your pita on the grill right when you pull the meat off. You should have some toasty bits on there, but watch to not burn it. Then try not to eat too much since every part of this meal will taste amazing.