Lamb Kofte with Yogurt Sauce and Muhammara - Adapted from Epicurious.com

We made up the chick pea salad to accom-pany the lamb and made it first simply by mixing one can of drained chick peas with some sliced kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, 1t dry oregano, 1t ground cumin, 1 clove minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. It was dressed with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The lamb dish involves two sauces, one of which was made before hand by mixing 1C plain yogart, 2T tahini(sesame paste), 1T fresh lemon juice and 1/2t salt. Set aside. Mix in a bowl 2lb ground lamb, 1/2C minced fresh mint, 1/4 finely diced onion, 4 cloves minced garlic, 3T paprika, 1T ground cumin, 1/2t cayenne pepper and salt to taste. When the ingregients are well mixed form into meatballs 1-1/2 in in diameter (we made about 18). Gently saute one whole sliced onion in 2T olive oil. Remove the onion to a baking sheet and place in a 300 degree oven for warming. Now saute the meat balls in the same skillet until done to your liking. Then transfer to the sheet with the onions and return to the oven. Remove the excess fat from the skillet to make the Mahammara sauce. To the skillet add 1/2C chopped roasted red pepper, 1/2C water, 2T pomegranate molasses and 2T chopped parsley. Serve the meatballs, onions and sauces on warm pita bread.