Most people like meatballs. In fact, I was at Barnes and Noble the other day and found a book devoted entirely to the subject of cooking tasty meatballs of different types. While I recognize the role of the meatball in providing another way to get meat into someone’s mouth, I don’t believe that you should subject someone to bland food. Because of the this, the meatballs that I tend to make are a variant on kefta; a spiced ground meat mixture. Although it is common to see kefta threaded onto skewers and grilled, simmering them in a broth is a good way to cook them as well and leaves the meat nice and moist. For our meal, we served them over some couscous and with a side of Zucchini and Artichoke Hearts with Charmoula.
There are probably as many different spicing schemes for kefta as there are cooks. I tend to favor cumin, coriander, and onion as the primary flavors in mine, with the white pepper providing a little bit of heat. This dish is a little unusual for me in its lack of chili, which I tend to put in most food. For the meat, I like the taste of lamb, but find that it can be a bit dry if used by itself. Adding some ground pork really helps out by providing some fat….