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Kofta Mabrouma

This is a specialty of Aleppo in Syria, where it is traditionally baked in a round tray and served on a round dish, with the rolls arranged in a coil.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground lamb or beef
2 medium onions, grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup pine nuts
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Chopped flat-leaf parsley and slices of lemon to garnish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix the meat with the grated onions and the eggs, add salt and pepper, and knead vigorously by hand until soft and pasty.

    Step 2

    Divide the meat mixture into 6 lumps. Roll each into a long cigar-shaped roll ,then flatten into a thin rectangle. You can do this by placing the rolls between 2 sheets of wax paper and flattening with a rolling pin.

    Step 3

    Put a row of pine nuts along one of the longer sides of each rectangle, about 1/4 inch from the edge, and roll up into a fat sausage, starting from the edge lined with pine nuts.

    Step 4

    In an oiled round tart pan or oven dish, arrange the rolls end to end and brush with oil. Bake in a 350°F oven for about 3/4 hour, or until well browned.

    Step 5

    Serve garnished with parsley and lemon slices.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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