Hi Guys! Welcome to “Easy Ethnic with Eitan,” my monthly recipe here on Kosher.com. My name is Eitan Bernath. I am a 14-year-old teen chef who is a weekly food blogger, food photographer, and kosher personality. At the age of 11, my passion for cooking was turned into a career when I competed on “Chopped” on the Food Network. On my weekly food blog, CookWithChefEitan.com, I post new recipes every Sunday. Be sure to check it out and follow me on Instagram @ChefEitanBernath! This month we are escaping the cold weather and taking a trip to the Middle East! The Middle East is famous for its delicious food such as hummus, laffas, shawarma and pita. Food from this region is seasoned with tahini, mint, cumin, and parsley. It is often cooked traditionally over an open flame and served by street vendors in the town center. Whoever invented the idea to put food on a stick was a genius! It makes eating the food much more fun and makes the food super portable. It also helps ensure that the food gets cooked evenly on the open flame, since one can easily turn the kebabs as they are cooking. Kofta kebobs are a great quick, flavorful dinner with a weekend meal. Rather than the usual meat tacos or hamburgers, these kebobs are a nice change of pace for using ground beef. Also, you can have all the sides that accompany this dish on hand in your pantry or fridge: you can serve it with all your favorites like tahini, Israeli salad, pita, hummus, lemon wedges, and whatever else you like. I hope you enjoy this Mediterranean meal! If you make this recipe or any of my others, be sure to send me a picture to [email protected] or tag me on your photo on Instagram @ChefEitanBernath!