Homestyle Perfume

Apparently, onions are one of the top 5 foods that make up the Saudi diet. That may be why I regard onions as a vegetable rather than a seasoning, as I think many Americans see them. I see ingredient lists with 2T of onion or some such and I just laugh. My friend, Annie, told me her gramma’s tip: when you have a house full of people and are suddenly in the position of needing to whip up a meal at short notice, that the first thing you do is chop an onion and start it carmelizing. The scent relaxes people, it tells them you’re on top of things and they sit back in anticipation. Now you have some time to figure out what the hell you’re gonna do, and besides everything begins with onions. Wise woman.

When I was in college, I had a friend from Palestine, Samer, and one day, I was having a bunch of people over, so Samer came by early and we made kufta together for them. It was a lovely afternoon, chopping onion, and parsley and mushing it with our hands onto bamboo skewers. I can't help but think of the gentle rapport and pleasure of cooking togther when I think of him. He often used to greet me by burying his nose in the crook of my shoulder and hair and taking a deep breath. Even then I did a lot of cooking, and as he said, “A woman should smell like onions.” It was meant as a compliment and I took it as such, especially since I frequently did.

Making kufta from a recipe would be unusual for me, but for the novice middle-eastern cook, here’s a version from Good Eating the Arabic Way, a book complied by Laraine Kousaie Mahshie for the Anthiochian Women of St. Elias Orthodox Church and the ladies of the Arabic speaking community in Syracuse, NY.

Kefta
1 lb. lean ground lamb or ground beef
1/2 c parsley, finely chopped
1/4 t pepper
1/8 t cinnamon
1/4 c onion, minced
1 tsp salt
dash allspice

Mix above ingredients well. Form in individual cylindrical shapes around a skewer. Broil in oven or over charcoal. Serve in arabic bread with yogurt as a sauce.

Variations:
Add 2 T burghal (crushed wheat) softened in water for 10 minutes. Drain completely and squeeze before adding.
Mix all ingredients in a meat grinder.
Sprinkle with lemon juice and garnish with parsley.
Mold in round patties and fry in skillet in butter over medium high heat.