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www.timeintuscany.com Alvina from Podernouvo has agreed to write some posts about the food from Tuscany.

Simple Conversions - Liquids - 1 cup / 250 ml / 8 fl oz Solids - 20 g / 1/2 oz; 125 g / 4 oz; 500g / 1 lb C to F - 120C / 250 F; 180 C / 355 F ; 200 C / 390 F mm to in - 1cm / 1/2 in; 5cm / 2 in Boneless meat or chicken - 450g /1lb

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Koftas make great party food

These make great party food for the silly season or even for a birthday party, a BBQ or a family meal. This recipe is for OJ who is turning one next week, and is having a party. He loves spicy foods (like his nonna and eats amazing things like avocados!)

A kofte is a Middle Eastern and South Asian meatball. In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced or ground meat—usually beef or lamb mixed with spices and/or onions. The meat is often mixed with other ingredients such as rice or bulger. They can be BBQ'd, grilled, fried, steamed, poached, baked or marinated, and may be served with a rich spicy sauce such as mango chutney or a yoghut sacce. In Arab countries, kufta or kefta is usually shaped into cigar-shaped cylinders.


Kofte with mint yoghurt dressing is great party food
Meatballs / kofte with mint yoghurt dressing   Makes approx 16
For the mint yoghurt sauce combine
1/2 cup thick natural yoghurt (greek)
2 tbsp mint, finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon


For the meatballs750g / 1 1/2lb good quality lamb mince (or a mixture of lamb and beef)

1 cup fine fresh breadcrumbs
2 onions, finely chopped or processed
1 tsp fennel seeds, dry-roasted, finely ground (or ground fennel)
1 tbsp cumin seeds, dry-roasted, finely ground (or ground cumin)
1/4 cup finely chopped mint and/or combination of mint and coriande2
1 tbsp lemon zest
1
egg white
salt and pepper

Oil
Combine ingredients; season to taste. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours if possible to allow flavours to mingle and make mixture easier to handle.

Mould the meat mixture into small sausage shapes and skewer with metal or wooden
kebab sticks (soaked in water for 20 mins).

Spray with a little oil and cook on BBQ for 5 to 8 minutes, turning once.

Drizzle with yoghurt sauce or serve sauce separately. Serve with toasted pita bread and
lemon wedges. 

Variation - serve with mango chutney.

Variation - Moroccan Kefters - Substitute fennel for paprika,
and instead of 1/2 cup mint, use a combination of chopped coriander,
mint and flat-leafed parsley.
Season with black or cayenne pepper and serve with Moroccan bread.

Variation 2- Alternatively form into balls or patties and cook in oven in oven dish
lined with baking paper.

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