Lamb Kofta With Yogurt Sauce
Recipe By: J.M. Hirsch
Published in: Napa Valley Register
2 slice day-old crusty white bread -- lightly toasted
1 medium yellow onion -- quartered
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint
2 clovegarlic
1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 large egg
1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 pounds ground turkey
4 large round pita breads
2 medium tomatoes -- diced
Place an oven rack in the center position of the oven. Preheat the oven
to broil. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
Place the bread in a food processor and pulse until it forms fine
breadcrumbs. Add the onion, parsley, mint, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, chili
powder, salt, black pepper, ginger and red curry paste, then continue
pulsing until finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Mix
the egg into the onion and herb mixture. Add the lamb and turkey and use
your hands to thoroughly mash everything together. Shape the mixture into
12 egg-size balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly spray
the kofta with olive oil. Broil for 8 minutes, then use tongs to rotate
each kofta and broil an additional 7 minutes. Rotate the kofta again and
broil another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5
minutes. Wrap the pitas in foil and place in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes,
or just long enough to heat. Arrange three kofta down the center of each
pita, then top with diced tomato and yogurt sauce (recipe follows). Wrap
the pita around the kofta.
Yogurt Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt (Greek-style is good)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 tsp. lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
In a small bowl mix together the yogurt, dill, cucumber and lemon juice.
Refrigerate while preparing the kofta. When ready to serve, season to
taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 1-1/2 cups
Recipe Notes
Kofta, a particularly flavorful variety of meatball generally found in
the Middle East and India, get much of their taste from seasonings often
associated with curries, as well as fresh herbs such as mint and
cilantro. Though lamb is traditional, the type of meat used in kofta can
vary widely. As can cooking method. Grilling, frying, steaming and
poaching are common. Grilled kofta often are cooked on skewers. In some
places, kofta can be quite large, even stuffed with other foods, such as
boiled eggs. But for this recipe the kofta are a more traditional
American meatball size and eaten as one would falafel, wrapped in pita
bread and topped with yogurt. As with most meatball recipes, this one is
easily adapted to suit personal tastes. And if you'd rather not have a
wrap, consider serving these kofta over a bed of rice with curry sauce
(some excellent prepared sauces are available).
In fact, if you plan to serve them with sauce, consider skipping the
broiling and cook them in the sauce in a skillet. For this variation,
brown the kofta with a bit of oil in the pan, then add the curry sauce and
simmer over low heat about 15 minutes. They also can be skewered and
grilled. Place three to four kofta on each skewer and grill over a
medium-hot flame, turning occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until
cooked through. Don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients in this
simple-to- assemble recipe. The food processor does the majority of the
work. And if you'd rather not buy both ground lamb and turkey, use a pound
of one rather than a half-pound of each.
Exported from A Cook's Books -- Recipe management for Macintosh
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