Recipe

1. Rinse the quinoa very well, 3 or 4 times. Combine the quinoa, water, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover and let cool. (Quinoa can be cooked up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.)
2. In a large bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, lamb, onion, cumin, salt, pepper, parsley, cinnamon, mint, ras-el-hanout, and red pepper flakes. Gently mix just until the spices are evenly distributed, but take care not to overmix so the kofta are tender when cooked. (The meat mixture can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.)
3. The kofta mixture can be shaped around skewers and grilled or cooked as patties. For grilling, preheat the grill. If grilling and using bamboo skewers, soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes before forming the meat on them. To form the meat on skewers, place some meat in your palm and use your other hand to gently flatten. Place a skewer on top of the meat and close your hand, folding the meat evenly around the skewer, making the meat about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Repeat to add 1 to 2 more kofta to the skewer, and then set it on a plate and repeat with the remaining meat mixture and skewers. (Skewers can be prepared a day or two ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.) If pan-frying, shape the meat mixture into patties that are 4 inches in diameter.
4. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Grill the skewers or fry the patties until browned and cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.Store leftover kofta in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Tip: To see if you’ve adequately seasoned the meat, fry a small piece of the kofta mix in a pan and taste it once it’s cooked. Add more salt, pepper flakes, or ras-el-hanout if you find the flavor is lacking.