Living in the southwest has afforded me the opportunity to work with ingredients I previously was not super familiar with. Dried chilies play an important role in southwest cuisine, mostly attributed to flavors borrowed from Mexican and Central American cuisines. Growing up in Detroit, we had a small section of the city nicknamed “Corktown” that housed some great Mexican food, or more specifically great “Detroit” Mexican food. No knock against the potential lack of authenticity, the food we ate growing up there was nothing short of phenomenal. We used to trek downtown from the burbs and stand in line outside of Mexican Village or Xochimilcos, two fairly renowned Detroit “Corktown” restaurants, and order way too much food, usually combination plates, followed by a fried ice cream. At a young age, this food was a good as eating at an Abuelas house in Jalisco. And the food at both of these restaurants is still phenomenal, just different from what I’ve encountered since relocating to the southwest.
Back to chilies. I absolutely love dried chilies. There’s a large variety, they’re relatively cheap, easy to store and full of flavor. Rehydrating them is simple, and the outcome can lead to marinades, sauces and the ability to incorporate them into dishes I previously wouldn’t have used them in. Case in point, the guajillo chili pita bread. The Chili alters a “normal” pita or Flatbread and adds great flavor, which I use as the serving vessel in this beef kafta kabob sandwich.
The Hummus on this sandwich is my traditional Hummus recipe, and the wow factor is the crispy chickpeas. As a public service announcement, if you make the crispy chickpeas far in advance of making your sandwich, either make twice as many or be prepared for there to be none left for the assembly. They’re addicting, fairly healthy and incredibly easy to make. Just make double the batch and thank me later. The beef kafta is juicy and full of flavors thanks to the several spices contained within it. Another huge positive of this dish aside from its deliciousness is the price point at which you can make it. This is cheap food that’s masks itself as an elegant sandwich. Southwest meets Middle East!
Beef Kafta Kabob on Guajillo Pita
Ingredients
Guajillo Pita
- 2 dried guajillo chilies seeds and stems removed
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Beef Kafta
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 yellow onion medium size
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp za'atar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Crispy Chickpeas
- 1 14oz can chickpeas
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ras el hanout
Instructions
For the Guajillo Pita
- Put the chilies in a small saucepan, add the water, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes until the chilies are soft. Drain and reserve the cooking water.
- Put the chilies in a blender along with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water and blend until smooth, about 20 seconds.
- Combine the flour, salt, oil and blended chilies in a large bowl and mix well until a rough dough forms. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces, which can be easily done if you divide into 2, then each half other into 2 more, and then again into 2 more, which will give you 8 evenly divided pieces. Roll into small balls.
- You can either grill the pita or make them in a cast iron pan on your stovetop. Once the grill or grill pan is heated, to medium heat, roll out the dough balls to 1/8 inch thick and place them on the grill or in the pan. Once you see bubbles on the dough at about 1 minute, go ahead and flip the pita and cook on the opposite side for 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Go ahead and toss the pita in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before assembling the sandwich.
For the Kafta Kabobs
- Quarter the onion and place in the bowl of a food processor. Blitz the onion until well minced, then add the parsley and run for another 10 seconds. To that, then add the ground beef and remaining spices. Blitz for 10 seconds. Transfer the mixture from the food processor to a large mixing bowl and mix with your hands to ensure everything is well combined. Using your hands, shape the kabobs into torpedo shaped meat rockets, about 1 inch in diameter and 4-5 inches long.
- Heat your grill to medium heat and place the kabobs on the grill. Cook 5 minutes per side (10 minutes total). I realize it's hard to say 5 minutes per side since the kabob is mostly round and it can roll around on the grill. I like to get some char mark on at least 2 sides, but don't want to overcook it or you risk a dry kabob without any moisture.
Crispy Chickpeas
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Drain the can of chickpeas and place the chickpeas on a kitchen towel. Place another kitchen towel over the chickpeas and begin to gently roll the chickpeas between the two towels. You're trying to remove as many of the chickpea skins as you can, as it will help make for a crispier chickpea. You want to be very gentle here though, to avoid damaging the chickpea. Go slow. I know you're thinking this step is pointless, but I promise you your chickpeas will turn out so much better without the skins on them, it's worth the extra time to get it right.
- To a mixing bowl, add the skinned chickpeas, olive oil, and salt, and gently mix until well coated. Once coated, place the chickpeas onto the lined baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes until crispy and well browned. You can always put them back in the oven if they're not crispy enough, but keep an eye on them around the 25 minute mark to make sure they're not burning.
- Remove from the oven and toss with the Ras El Hanout. You can substitute for other spices or omit any additional seasoning if you like them plain.
