Kofta Kabobs

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the toasted bread in a food processor and pulse until the bread forms fine crumbs.

Add the bread crumbs to a large bowl. Add the ground beef, ground lamb, onion, garlic, parsley, mint, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice and cinnamon. Use your hands to gently but thoroughly combine the mixture. Editor's Tip: Avoid overmixing, which can make the kabobs tough. Mix only until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Form 1/4 cup of the meat mixture around each skewer, shaping the mixture lengthwise along the skewer to form a kabob about 3 inches long. Editor's Tip: Pack the meat firmly (but not too tightly) around the skewer to ensure even cooking.

Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan for medium heat. Place the kabobs on the grill and cook until browned on all sides, two to four minutes.

Transfer the kabobs to a greased 15x10x1-inch baking sheet. Bake in the oven until a thermometer inserted into each kabob reads 160°, seven to eight minutes. If desired, serve with rice, feta, olives, tomatoes and lemon wedges. Editor's Tip: If you want to cook the kabobs exclusively on the grill, prepare the grill for direct and indirect heat. After grilling the kabobs over direct heat, transfer them to the indirect heat side and finish cooking as directed above.