Lamb kofte with parsley salad recipe
Usually called keftedes in Crete, these small meatballs, deep-fried until crispy and served with lots of onion, are the perfect snack to take to the beach, especially if there are children around. In Turkey, they add bulgur wheat and lots of aromatic spices. The bulgur gives them a great crunch and the spices make them even more tasty. You can omit the lambs' hearts if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 150 g lambs' hearts, chopped extremely finely and seasoned with salt
- 450 g lamb, minced
- 100 g coarse bulgur wheat
- 1 tbsp walnuts, very finely chopped
- 150 g tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 long green Turkish chillies, or other chillies you like, chopped finely
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1.5 tsp ground fenugreek
- 1 handful each of parsley, mint leaves and dill, finely chopped
- 300 ml vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5.3 oz lambs' hearts, chopped extremely finely and seasoned with salt
- 15.9 oz lamb, minced
- 3.5 oz coarse bulgur wheat
- 1 tbsp walnuts, very finely chopped
- 5.3 oz tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 long green Turkish chillies, or other chillies you like, chopped finely
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1.5 tsp ground fenugreek
- 1 handful each of parsley, mint leaves and dill, finely chopped
- 10.6 fl oz vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5.3 oz lambs' hearts, chopped extremely finely and seasoned with salt
- 15.9 oz lamb, minced
- 3.5 oz coarse bulgur wheat
- 1 tbsp walnuts, very finely chopped
- 5.3 oz tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 long green Turkish chillies, or other chillies you like, chopped finely
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1.5 tsp ground fenugreek
- 1 handful each of parsley, mint leaves and dill, finely chopped
- 1.3 cups vegetable oil
- 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
- 100 g tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small green pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
- 3.5 oz tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small green pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
- 3.5 oz tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small green pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Details
- Cuisine: Greek
- Recipe Type: Snack
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 25 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Heat a pan over a medium heat, add the oil and lambs’ hearts and fry briefly for a couple of minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool a little.
- Tip the bulgur wheat into a bowl, cover with boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes until it softens a little.
- Put all the kofte ingredients, except the oil, in a large bowl and mix very well. Season with salt and form into round balls about the size of a walnut.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a deep saucepan until hot (the oil should bubble as soon as you lower the kofte into it). Fry the lamb kofte in the oil until golden and crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
- You need to chop the parsley salad ingredients as finely as possible. Put the parsley, tomatoes, pepper and chilli on a cutting board. Go over them again and again with a big knife until you have something that looks a bit like a salsa. It’s a bit messy but it’s totally worth it. Transfer to a bowl and season with the oil, lemon and salt and pepper.
- Serve the kofte with the salad and some nice bread.
This recipe is from Aegean by Marianna Leivaditaki. Published by Kyle Books, £26.00. Photography by Elena Heatherwick.
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