Kofta Rolls Filled WIth Spinach, Pine Nuts, Almonds And Raisins (Kafta Mashi Bi Sabenekh)

This is yet another recipe I picked from Abla's Lebanese Kitchen. It made sense to use up the nuts and spices we bought for our last Lebanese meal -  Chicken Breast Roll with Rice Stuffing. I must say this is a whole lot easier than stuffing the chicken breasts but it will still impress your guests at a dinner party. You may replace the stuffing with hard boiled eggs and minced lamb with beef instead. Enjoy your weekend and happy cooking!

Recipe adapted from Abla's Lebanese Kitchen
serves 4 
you'll need;
1 kg of minced lamb
3/4 cup of chopped parsley
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of allspice
1/2 tsp of black pepper
olive oil for brushing
steamed vegetables to serve

for the filling;
200 g of spinach, washed, drained and chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
1 tbs of olive oil
1/3 cup of pine nuts*
1/3 cup of blanched almonds, halved*
1/3 cup of raisin
1/4 tsp of allspice
1/4 tsp of black pepper
salt to taste
1 tbs of lemon juice
* Dry toast nuts til golden then add in a dollop of butter, drained well

Place minced lamb, parsley, onion and spices in a blender and process to combine. (Do it in batches)

Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl.

Brush cling film with a little oil and place half of the mince mixture on it. Flatten it out and place half of the filling in a line down the centre.

fold the sides over to form a roll.

Place kofta rolls in an oiled roasting tray, brush with olive oil and bake in the pre heated oven for 30-40 minutes.

Rest kofta rolls for 10 minutes before slicing. Skim off excess oil and reserve the cooking jus.

I served the kofta slices with boiled cabbage and green beans with the reserved cooking jus poured over the vegetables.