We tried this recipe from Mayada Anjari’s cookbook, The Bread and Salt Between Us. First, preheat oven to 400. Second, combine 1.5 lb minced beef (80/20 or 85/15), 1 small grated onion and 1.5 cups (one small bunch) coarsely chopped parsley leaves and tender stems (instead of mincing by hand, we used a handheld blender to chop the onion and parsley together), ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup water, 1.5 tsp salt (we reduced to 1 tsp), 1 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp sweet paprika. Mix together, then transfer to an ungreased 9×13″ baking dish. Evenly spread and flatten the meat, then lightly score about 2 inches apart. Drizzle with an additional ¼ cup each olive oil and water (but see Note below). Bake for 15 mins. Third, while the meat is baking, coarsely grate 1 ¼ lb (2 large or 2 medium plus 1 small) peeled hothouse tomatoes (we used a handheld blender) and add ½ tsp salt (we reduced to ¼ tsp). Fourth, at the end of the 15 min baking, remove pan from oven. The meat will be swimming in a pool of oil (about 1/3 cup total). We removed most of the oil, leaving only about 2 tsp. Spread the tomato mixture evenly over the meat, then bake until the tomatoes have broken down and lightly browned on top (an additional 20 to 25 mins). Remove from oven and let cool slightly, allowing juices to redistribute. We served this with hummus, pita bread, and a simple condiment of minced parsley lightly dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. (Jan. 2019).
Note 1: After the initial 15 mins of baking, we were surprised to see the beef swimming in so much oil, particularly since we used lean beef. We may reduce the olive oil in the beef mixture from ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) to 2 Tbsp total (1 Tbsp in the mixture, 1 Tbsp over the scored minced beef).
Cooking Adventures 