My family has a favorite Middle Eastern place we go to. You can’t really call it “Greek.” The family is actually Persian. They pretty much know out order- The girls get spaghetti and meatballs or a cheeseburger and my husband usually gets a combo meat plate (chicken-souvlaki, lamb, beef-kubideh). As for me, they don’t know. I always choose something different. I think I have had almost everything in some form on their menu. Moussaka, fish, lamb, chicken, beef, roasted veggies, falafel, spanakopita, soup, etc.But that is just me…I rarely ever get the same thing twice. There is this one dish, though. It is the best version of a meatloaf that I have ever tasted. It is called Kubideh, and it is mouthwatering. Seriously, ya’ll. Try this. It can never compare to their family recipe, but it is pretty darn close. I also made some yummy lemon dill rice and roasted Naan.
Kubideh
Ingredients- Mix together and let set from 2 hours to overnight
1 pound ground beef
1 onion grated and strained- seriously, lots of excess water here
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely minced
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon turmeric
salt and pepper to taste- Please be heavy handed, ok, ya’ll?
Take the meat and form into patties. It is not pretty. Looks inappropriate, if you know what I mean. Not really photogenic, so sorry for the following photos. Grill on all sides. Depending on your grill’s heat, should take about 5 minutes or so per side.
Rice with Dill and Lemon
Ingredients
3 cups rice
4 quarts chicken stock
1/2 cup dill
2 cloves garlic
1 shallot, minced
1 lemon- juice and zest
salt and pepper to taste
In a medium pot- Heat olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pot, slowly cook shallots on med heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, lemon juice and zest, and dill. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Add in rice. Stir frequently and toast for about 5 minutes.
Heat chicken stock in another pot. Add in a few ladles at a time. Babysit your rice. Sip a glass of wine or your favorite cocktail. You could cook your rice like the package, but you would end up with burnt rice and gross tasting dill. Don’t follow the directions on the package. Follow mine and have your drink, too. Win, win.
Cucumber Mint Yogurt Sauce- mix the following together- you can mix them in a processor for a finer texture.
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded (cut in half and take the seed out with a spoon)
1 1/2 cups plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (from my garden…SQUEEEEE!!!)
2 tbsp.extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste.
Fun Foodie Family 