Mititei

Instructions

1. Peel 2 garlic cloves and crush them to a smooth paste with 0.5 tsp of salt using the flat of a knife or a mortar. Whisk the paste into 60 ml of cold beef stock and keep it in the fridge until needed, the liquid must go into the meat cold.
2. In a wide bowl put 150 g of minced beef, 60 g of minced lamb and 40 g of minced pork belly. Scatter over 0.5 tsp of ground black pepper, 0.25 tsp of ground allspice, 0.25 tsp of ground coriander, 0.25 tsp of dried thyme, 0.25 tsp of sweet paprika, 1 pinch of crushed caraway seeds and 0.25 tsp of bicarbonate of soda.
3. Pour in the chilled garlic stock a splash at a time and knead hard with one hand for 8-10 minutes, slapping the mass back into the bowl now and then. The mixture is ready when all the liquid has been absorbed and the paste is tacky and pulls away from the bowl in one lump.