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Spicy Ground Beef Kebabs with Tomato-Sumac Sauce
This recipe is our take on kebab hindi that, despite its name, is a Levantine, not Indian, dish. In traditional versions, the meat mixture is formed into stubby cigar shapes—as if shaped around a skewer—and the kebabs are baked in a tomato sauce. We opted to form the meat into patties and cook them, sans sauce, under the focused heat of the broiler. When the patties are done, we use the same baking sheet to broil tomatoes and onion until softened enough to form a chunky, relish-like sauce. The sauce is seasoned with tangy ground sumac, which is sold in well-stocked supermarkets, spice shops and Middle Eastern grocery stores. If it’s not available, simply squeeze a little lemon juice into the sauce while stirring in the water after broiling. Serve with rice or flatbread.
4 to 6
Servings
Don’t discard the foil lining from the baking sheet after transferring the patties to a serving platter. Keep the foil in place so that cleanup is a breeze after broiling the tomato-onion mixture.
40 minutes
Ingredients
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1½
pounds 80 percent lean ground beef
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1
large red onion, ½ finely chopped, ½ thinly sliced, reserved separately
Directions
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01Heat the broiler with a rack about 6 inches from the element. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a large bowl, combine the beef, chopped onion, cilantro stems, pine nuts, cinnamon, allspice, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1½ teaspoons pepper. Using your hands, mix well, then divide into 12 portions and shape each into a patty 2½ to 3 inches in diameter; arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
This is worth it for the sauce alone. I have been in love with sumac ever since their mussahkan chicken recipe so used about a quarter cup. The sauce was so perfectly charred and savory I am thinking of so many other uses. The patties were good too but holy moly the sauce!