beef kebap meatballs with hummus & zhug
Spicy, juicy, flavorful meatballs dipped in creamy hummus and covered in spicy, zesty zhug sauce make for the perfect comfort meal.
Makes: 12 meatballs, good for two servings Prep time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ah, you didn’t think I’d go all the way to switzerland and not bring back food inspiration, did you?
When researching food options, I picked out restaurants that served traditional Swiss food: like flammkuchen, which is a crispy, flatbread-like pizza with creme fraiche. I also had to try beef tartare, something not-so-common in the states but very popular in summertime Switz. Aperol spritz, rösti, cheese, chocolate. Switzerland is a great place for foodies, especially those with a fondness for German food. Of course, it’s also smack-dab in the middle of so many EU countries, it has a whole lot more than regional cuisine, too.
We had some amazing italian pizza and salads, french-style soups and meats, and, to finish the trip, some middle eastern inspired tapas. The boys all had chicken and lamb pitas - which were juicy, flavorful and stuffed to the brim- and us gals shared tartare, burrata, and- the star of the show- beef kebap meatballs.
You know the feeling: you bite into something amazing, decide you could eat that daily, and then realize you’ll probably never eat it again in your life? (hey, never say never) Or maybe you frequent a spot that has the best whatever and you simply cannot afford to eat there every night? Yeah, that was this. I had to try to recreate these meatballs.
Yeah, I probably can never reach the finesse these meatballs had, but I actually got darned close. I imagined they took the spices regularly used for kebaps (kabobs, kebabs, kebobs - normally skewered and grilled), packed them into ground beef, tied it together with fresh herbs, and cooked until browned but very moist. I was unsure the oven would work, since theirs were impossibly soft, but it did! The trick? Don’t overwork the meat, and cook less than you think you need to.
The other trick is using an egg and really good meat. I usually use breadcrumbs in my meatballs, but truthfully I didn’t have any and I preferred it - don’t you love when that happens? I used lean ground beef and just one egg- if you are halving the recipe, half the egg, too, or the meat will fall apart in the oven. You want the mixture to be slippery, but workable, not wet.
There’s a chance they mixed theirs with lamb, or chicken, or maybe they grind the meat themselves- I’ll probably never know. But for a quick, home-cook version? Plain old ground beef is perfect.
I also highly recommend making these flatbreads - I’m obsessed and not-so-subtly worked them into this dish because I was craving them again (see: labneh). They take some time, so you might want to prep them in advance- but really, they are super easy and your trusty sous-chef can prepare them while you work the meat and zhug. Yep- Evan made the flatbreads pictured! Don’t they look good?! Proud girl moment.
I also recommend using store-bought hummus so you can focus on the meatballs and zhug- I love to cook, but even I don’t want to be in the kitchen that long on a weeknight. Save yourself the time and spread your favorite hummus in the bowl, it won’t hurt!
You guys, this is so good, I’m so happy the attempt worked out and I could bring you a slice of Zurich. Did I mention what restaurant this was? It’s called Bank and is super cool. Add it to your travel list!
beef kebap meatballs and zhug ingredients
ground beef: I just used ground beef, 90% lean. No fancy meat mix-ins, but you are more than welcome to use half beef, and half lamb or pork. Pork always adds a delicious, juicy texture to meatballs- and lamb would be perfect with the mint and parsley (but I recommend this only if you like lamb, which not everyone does!) Otherwise, there aren’t too many shortcuts here: use all the spices, and don’t skip the mint!
spices: Don’t let me bully you: you can certainly add and subtract any spice you love or hate, but these are the ones that I thought replicated the meatballs I had the best. Cinnamon and coriander are a total must: they are sweet, but subtle and earthy, so your meatballs will have a nice sweet undertone. I added powdered onion to avoid the onion chunks and offer a super moist meatball for the same flavor- you can totally use fresh onion or add fresh garlic, instead.
parsley: This is a major ingredient in the zhug and a minor ingredient in the meatballs- you can just take a few leaves from your bunch for the meatballs and use darn-near the rest in the zhug (you really can’t overdo it). I highly recommend chopping the parsley before adding to the processor to make your life easier.
mint: I actually meant to garnish with mint, too, but I forgot and my mint plant is looking a little sad (my original, beautiful plant died on vacation) But don’t skip the leaves in the meatballs, as odd as it sounds: it works amazingly well with the beef and adds a nice, fresh flavor.
cilantro: Another big star for zhug, but truthfully you could leave it out if you absolutely can’t stand cilantro. Although, I have to tell you.. it doesn’t taste like cilantro at all, so you may want to try it anyways. Unless you are super sensitive to cilantro, it will be overpowered by the chiles, garlic, lemon, and oil and shouldn’t be too noticeable. I recommend chopping the cilantro roughly before adding, because like the parsley, it gets all tied up in the blades and is just.. so much easier to chop first.
toasted seeds: These are what makes a zhug, a zhug, so you should not skip it. I mean, it’s kind of just a chimichurri, otherwise, no? If you can buy just a few seeds at a time, you should: you don’t need very much and these can be pricey. Otherwise, toasting them takes no time at all- about 2-3 minutes- and you don’t really need to crush them before adding them to the processor. Lazy cooks, you’re welcome.
lemon: You don’t need the zest, but it adds a lot of brightness to an otherwise spicy, herby sauce. Since you are using the lemon anyways, go ahead and zest! The best results are going to happen with a fresh lemon, which is what causes the emulsion with the oil, but you can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch.
garlic: Yum- you know the drill. I write garlic amounts to a generous-but-not-overboard garlic flavor. If you LOVE garlic, add a clove or two more, and if you don’t… I suppose you can take some away.
serrano peppers: I used 3 seeded peppers and thought it was perfectly spicy- not blisteringly hot, but not mild, either. If you are sensitive to heat, start with 1 or 2 peppers. If you want a really spicy sauce, add up to 5. You could also try jalapenos in a pinch, but these do have a slightly different flavor!
olive oil: you can use extra virgin or just plain olive oil. I don’t really like avocado oil, so I can’t recommend it, and I wouldn’t recommend using canola or vegetable unless you absolutely have to. You want something that has depth and flavor (and a flavor you enjoy, sorry avocado oil), so try not to use a neutral oil like canola.
beef kebap meatballs and zhug pairing options
The recipe written is just for the meatballs and zhug: I’m not going to bully you into making the hummus and flatbreads, too, even though I recommend them! If you can’t make or find hummus or flatbreads, or maybe you just.. don’t care for them, here are some other pairing options:
focaccia, either store bought or homemade, preferably made with herbs
pita or naan
homemade french fries
stewed tomatoes, or even simple roasted cherry tomatoes
pistachios and peaches
roasted carrots or cauliflower
olive tapenade
roasted new potatoes
pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, gewurztraminer
lager or pale ale