Recipe Zest

Ingredients 1 lb ground lamb 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped 1 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp cinnamon 3 cloves, ground 3 pods cardamon, ground 1/2 tsp salt Method Mix all the ingredients in a bowl Shape into koftas Grill at high heat until interior reaches 160F Notes We've also made with other ground meat, such as beef You can do steps 1 and 2 ahead of time and then refrigerate until later in day

Ingredients 2 cups rice 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp turmeric Currants Almonds, slivered Method Simmer onion and garlic in olive oil until onion gets a little browned around the edges Add in spices and stir.  Add in a little bit of water to help the spices get into a paste Add rice to pot and stir, cook over heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally Transfer rice to rice cooker, add water, and cook as usual Fry almonds in butter until golden brown; remove and then fry currants until heated Serve rice with currants and almonds Notes We use raw almonds and don't peel them.  You could get fancy and soak and then peel them, but we don't notice a difference I did not know that turmeric had the 1st 'r' in it I add a touch more water than usual when cooking the rice to compensate for the dryness of the spices