Kafta na Brasa

You look at meat on a skewer and hear that little voice: isso não é pra mim. Too much grill, too much timing, too much chance of the whole thing falling apart in front of people. Anota aí: kafta is not a gift. It's ground beef taught to behave.

I like this one because it brings churrasco back down to the home kitchen, where it belongs. You take good ground beef, real onion, parsley, garlic, and tempero sírio, then you knead it until it changes texture and holds together. That's the method. Not mystery. Not a packet pretending to be dinner.

The important part is not the skewer, it's the kneading. Salt pulls the meat proteins into a sticky web, and that web grips the skewer instead of sliding off into the fire like a tiny tragedy. Chill it for a few minutes, shape with firm hands, then grill hot so the outside gets browned and smoky before the inside dries out.

Put two skewers on the plate with arroz soltinho, feijão from scratch, and something green. There. Pê-efe with a little charcoal at the edges. Comida de verdade, achievable on a Tuesday, and good enough for Saturday.