Bright Tuesday

It feels like everything around us is budding and sprouting and blooming.  We went for a jaunt outside and it looked like some bored artist swabbed bits of colour all over. 

Beautiful and somehow therapeutic.  

Today we rest.  After a long week of work, we rest.  And enjoy all the food from our feast(s).  And the memories.  Yes indeed, I am full to the brim.  In every way.  

Now I can turn my attention to our balcony garden.  Time for soil and dirt and fertilizer and seeds.  Time for little hands to plant and wield the watering can (with supervision!).  Or jug, as the case may be.  I can see it now: a few tomato plants sprouting alongside the parsley.  And onions.  No garden is a garden without onions.  Perhaps some herbs too - mint and oregano and basil.  All the fixings for garnishes, salads, and barbecued-fare accompaniments.

That reminds me.  I think it's a good day to make ground beef skewers (or kefta as the Lebanese call them).  No barbeque have we, but these do just fine in the oven.  Perfect for a sit down dinner, or for an on-the-go lunch.  We enjoy these any way they come.  In my humble opinion, they are best served with fresh tomatoes in a pita bread sandwich with garlic sauce.  Oh, and try to use thin pita bread.  It makes a difference for some obscure reason.  I suspect it creates the perfect balance between meat and bread without allowing one to overpower the other.  That matters, you know.  Unless of course you just slather your sandwich with garlic sauce.  Then nothing matters.  Just be sure you aren't going a-visiting afterwards.  No amount of toothpaste will help you out of this one.  :o)

KEFTA KEBABS (GROUND BEEF SKEWERS)

Makes about 20 large skewers

1 kg lean or medium ground beef (extra lean doesn't hold together very well...)

1/2 -2/3 bunch fresh parsley, washed and stems cut off

2 large onions

1/2 tsp allspice

3 tsp salt

Put onion in food processor and blend until finely diced.  Place in a large bowl.  Take parsley and blend in food processor until finely chopped.  Put in bowl with onions.  Add ground beef, allspice and salt.  Mix well with hands until mixture is well combined and uniform.

Pinch off a piece of meat and roll it into a long log between your hands.  Alternately, form a long log around a long wooden skewer.  Place on a foil-covered tray and repeat until all the meat is finished.  Bake at 350 degrees C for about 10-15 minutes until meat is nicely browned.  Turn over halfway through.  (Cut through one log to make sure it is cooked.)  Don't overcook or meat will dry out.  Enjoy hot atop rice and grilled veggies, or alongside fries and a salad, or solo in a sandwich.