My Lubia Chala With Kefta

This is classic Moroccan home fare! It is a mix of fresh green beans with tomatoes, seasonings and kefta (ground meat), beef in this case. You can also omit the beef for a wonderful vegetable dish as we often do. We use a communal platter and flat bread to eat it with for this meal. This is pronounced as an "sh" as are all words beginning with "ch" here and is the word for hair. This is *absolutely not* meant to be a spicy dish, as most Moroccan food is not spicy anyway. Lubia chala are always a comfort food and meant to be flavorful yet retaining the full flavor of the beans; this is the food of every day. If you want spicy, visit Tunisia who has a love affair with the hot pepper, Morocco does not. c.\2006

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  lb lean ground beef
• 2  teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1  teaspoon turmeric
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 3  garlic cloves, mashed to a puree or 3  garlic, minced finely
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, I use fresh in season
• 3⁄4 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half
• 1  cup  diced carrot (optional)
• 1  tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, 2 minutes. Add beef; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes, stirring, until no longer pink.
2. Add garlic and spices; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, green beans and carrots; cover skillet and bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes, stirring once. Stir in lemon.
4. Make sure that the green beans are soft, no crisp green beans are served here! I have also done this recipe with canned green beans and have found it to be very good and a good way to have green beans out of season. Use 2 cans if using canned beans.