This is a family recipe and I have NEVER given it to anybody!!! However, in view of the WOE shared by all the members here and the need for more protein-rich, low-carbrecipes so that we can enjoy non-monotonous meals, I have decided to reveal my secrets and post a few of our "famous" sephardi recipes.

1lb finely ground beef or lamb (what I do is buy the meat already ground and re-grind it at home with the ingredients), not too lean.
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp ground paprika
1tbsp ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup finely chopped coriander

Combine the meat, egg, oil, water, spices and garlic in food processor. Process for about 20/30 seconds.

Put mixture in a bowl and add the chopped coriander. Work the mixture so as to obtain a homogeneous ball.

Pour some water into a bowl. Dip your hands in it and start forming small, thin, square-shaped (3"X2" max) keftahs. Lay them on large plate or on a tray as you form them. Remember to keep your hands moist as the keftahs might stick if they are not. Do not, however, dip the keftahs in the water.

The keftahs are ready! They are delicious grilled, or even fried in olive oil.

My husband and I usually "down" those so I am not sure if I should indicate 2 or 3 people...

Agnès

For 3 people (I really don`t know as my husband and I eat the entire recipe in one meal!!!)

1lb ground beef, medium lean
1 egg
1tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground mace (try getting organic, the difference in flavour is incredible - I got Frontier Culinary Spices)
Half a medium onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup water
salt, to taste.
3/4 cup - or to your taste - parsley or coriander, finely chopped

2 cups fennel or celeri stalks, cut and rinced.
1 cup water.
2 tbsp olive oil.

Combine all ingredients except parsley/coriander in food processor. Process for about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and add chopped parsley or coriander and work the meat mixture with your hand until you get a homogeneous ball.

Let mixture sit for a half hour (the longer, the better) in refrigerator.

Pour water into a small bowl. Dip your hands in water as you form the meatballs (about the size of a tangerine). Lay them out in a large plate.

Transfer meatballs in large casserole and add celeri or fennel bulb, water and oil. Cook, simmering for about 1 hour.

Enjoy!!

Let them sit in your refrigerator, covered, for at least a half hour (the longer, the better).

1 bunch swiss chard or spinach
1 tbsp ground cumin
1tbsp ground paprika
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon (nice also with lime juice!!!)

Separate stalk from leaves and cut them into 1 inch strips. Rinse thoroughly. In the case of swiss chard, steam until cooked through and proceed to next step.

Pour oil in a frying pan and add cooked chard or raw spinach. Add spices and garlic. Fry over medium heat until soft. Add lemon juice and cook another 2 minutes.

This salad is best eaten hot, but it is also enjoyable cold.

I know how hard the old family recipes are to give up, these sound great...

Agnes, your versions of these sound wonderful. I make the Armenian version of your keuftah, sometimes using smoked paprika. Also use Aleppo pepper we get from Penzey's, great stuff.

Thanks for sharing your family recipes with us.

I love Armenian food! And yes, I have tried the keuftah, was wondering what the secret ingredient was. How do you make smoked paprika? Can you make it with red peppers? I have never seen it in the stores although if I find an armenian store I might find it there (Montreal has it all!!! we are so lucky here).

Agnès

You do, eh ? Do you have any you would like to share? And yes, it was a big step for me to post these, but I don't regret it one bit.

Agnès.

Actually, my first ever experience with smoked paprika was a tin of it brought to me from England last year by a woman who is a friend on another board, and now this one.

Now I buy it from Penzy's, which is where we get all our spices. I think the 'secret' ingredient in a lot of our food is ground cardamon. Being in a multicultural family I keep over 100 herbs and spices, and I'm always looking forward to new ways to use them.

I'm probably going to make your version of keuftah for company this weekend. Along with a curried cauliflower salad, and some kind of starch for all the non low carbers (everyone but me.)

Thanks again for posting your recipes.

Deb

my moroccoan friend makes these and poaches them in liquid-water, onion and same spices, makes yummy sauce, very moist too

THese things are great! I've made the Lebanese version which adds some cinnamon and sometimes ground rose petals. They're wonderful with Greek avgolemono sauce or yogurt.

Karen

These recipes all sound lovely!

I make the Greek version, keftedes, and it's almost exactly the same as your first recipe Agnes except I put cinnamon in mine. By the way, I am the woman from England that Fiona was talking about. My ma-on-law gave me a tin of smoked paprika and I fell in love with it. Fiona said she hadn't seen it before so bought her a tin - customs thought I was mad! Carrying this little tin all the way to America.

I wonder if the secret ingredient in Mirza Ghasemi is smoked paprika. I have done it twice with regular paprika and it just isn't the same as the delicious aubergine dish I had at one of my favourite Persian restaurants. Anybody know this one?

I looked it up and every recipe is about the same and with no smoked paprika. If it's that smokey flavour you want, the best way to do it it to chargrill the eggplant until it's soft all the way through then scoop out the flesh. It's how we make melitzanasalata and that has a very smokey taste from the charring.

I char my eggplant on an open gas flame but you can do it in a very hot oven. Don't worry if some of the bits of blackened skin get in to the flesh - they add to the flavour.

This is one of the recipes I found:

Mirza Ghasemi

Serving : 6

Ingredients :

6 Egg
8 Medium Size Eggplant
2 Clove of Garlic
200g Oil
2 Tomato
Salt & pepper to taste


Directions:

1. Grill eggplant on fire , peel & chop .

2. Put on tomato in boiling water then peel & chop .

3. Garlic must be softly ground and then fried in oil .

4. Pour prepared eggplant and tomatoes in frying pan with garlic.

5. Move the pan content to one side .

6. Break egg in a bowl and mix with salt & pepper .

7. Pour the beated egg in the other side of pan and let it be partially fried .

8. Then mix eggplant & egg completely.

9. Place it on dish and decorate with tomatoes.

Hope this helps!