“By day the hot sun fermented us; and we were dizzied by the beating wind. At night we were stained by dew, and shamed into pettiness by the innumerable silences of stars. ”

-T.E. Lawrence

Put It In

• Two pounds of ground beef or ground lamb.One pound of each works well.
• A large onion
• Two or three garlic cloves
• One hen's egg
• Teaspoon of salt
• Teaspoon of sumac
• Teaspoon of black pepper
• Half-teaspoon of turmeric
• Four good-size tomatoes, or some other number of other-size tomatoes
• Olive oil, or other culinary oil
• A pinch of saffron, should you have it

Kebab It

1. Mince the onions and garlic.
2. Combine with spices and egg, knead together.
3. Optionally: refrigerate for a few hours, up to a day.
4. Fire a hot charcoal grill.
5. Arrange meat mixture onto skewers. Wide flat skewers work best.
6. Brush tomatoes with olive oil and salt lightly. Place these on skewers also.
7. Heat beef and tomatoes over the grill. Turn to cook evenly.
8. Remove from grill when complete. Eat. Pairs well with rice and flat babies.