Serves: 4
Total Calories: 376

FOR THE MEAT:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, lamb, or a mixture of the two
1 onion, large, very finely chopped
1 cup parsley, finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf)
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, or more to taste
FOR SERVING:
pita bread or lavash
onion, finely chopped
sumac, , ground (optional)

1. Combine the beef, onion, parsley, mint, cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, then knead and squeeze the mixture with your hands until thoroughly blended, 3 to 4 minutes. To test the mixture for seasoning, sauté a small amount of it in a nonstick skillet until cooked through, then taste, adding salt or pepper to the remaining mixture as necessary.

2. Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal portions. Lightly wet your hands with cold water, then, starting about 1 inch from the tip of a skewer, mold each portions around the skewer to form a flattish sausage about 10 inches long and 1 inch wide. To keep from flattening the meat, place each kofta as it is made on a baking pan so the ends of the skewers rest on the sides of the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. If desired, set up the grill for grateless grilling. Preheat the grill to high.

4. When ready to cook, if not using the grateless method, generously oil the grate. Arrange the koftas on the grill as described in the grateless method or arrange directly on the hot oiled grate. Grill, turning with tongs, until nicely browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes in all).

5. Use a pita bread to protect your hand as you slide each kofta off its skewer onto a plate. Serve the koftas sprinkled with chopped onion and, if desired, ground sumac, and accompanied by pita breads.

Makes 8 koftas serves 4 as an entrée

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 376
Calories from Fat: 75

More Recipes from the The Barbecue Bible Cookbook:
Avocado, Sprout and Salsa Burger
Bacon and Smoked-Cheese Burger
Beef Sates With Coriander / Sate' Age
Bosnian Three-Meat Patties / Cevapcici
Bulgarian Burgers / Kufteh
Cheeseburger
Cracked Wheat and Lamb Kebabs / Semit Kebab
Flying Fox Sates / Sate' Kalong
Four-Pepper Chicken Kebabs / Kafta
Gentle Al Kebabs With Fire-Charred Eggplant And Yogurt
Lamb In Lavash / Lyulya Kebab
Lamb Sate With Tamarind Sauce / Sate' Buntel
Lamb and Eggplant Kebabs / Sedzeli Kebab
Lamb and Pistachio Kebabs
Oasis Kebabs / Kofta
Persian Lamb and Beef Kebabs / Kubideh
Pomegranate Molasses / Narshrab
Pork and Pomegranate Sausages / Kupati
Romania Pork and Lamb Sausage / Mititei
Samba Dogs
Samba Sausages / Choricou
Shallot Kebabs With Pomegranate Molasses / Sogar Kebab
Slipper Burgers / Chapli Kebab
Spiced Lamb and Beef Kebabs / Lula Kebab
Spicy Chorizos
Tamarind Water
The Great American Hamburger
The Original Karim's Seekh Kebab