Marrakech Ground Beef Kebabs Recipe

These versatile kebabs can be served as appetizers or as a main course, served with a yogurt and mint sauce. If serving as an appetizer, keep the kebab size small but if it will be an entree, use longer skewers and more of the mix. Serve the kebabs on the stick for dipping or slide off the skewer into a warm Moroccan flatbread.

2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1 small onion, finely diced (must be very small pieces to help the mixture hold together on the skewers)
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoons finely chopped mint
1 teaspoon finely chopped oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin (grinding your own will intensify the flavor)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover bowl and refrigerate for an hour to allow ingredients to marry. While waiting, soak 24 bamboo skewers in water. Use six-inch skewers for appetizers and eight-inch ones for main course kebabs. Divide the ground beef mixture into 24 equal portions. Form a torpedo-shaped meatball with each ball of mixture and slide gently on to a skewer so that the meat covers the sharp end of it. Lay each skewer on a platter but do not stack on top of each other. Refrigerate kebabs until ready to grill.

Grill on a well-oiled grill or skillet until browned on each side. Turn kebabs 90 degrees to brown on all sides evenly. Keep each batch of kebabs warm in a 200 degree oven while making new kebabs.

Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons finely ground fresh mint

Mix all ingredients well and keep refrigerated until needed.