are a type of meatball from the Middle East, but you can find variations (all with very similar names) in South Asia and the Balkans. They are lovely hot or cold, served as part of a meal or eaten as a snack or as canapés. Here I’ve served them meze-style with pitta bread and a variety of cooling dips. You could, of course, use minced pork or beef instead of lamb to make the koftas.
500g (1lb 2oz) minced lamb
½ onion, peeled and very finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
Pinch of ground cinnamon ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped mint
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 To make the koftas, mix the lamb in a large bowl with the onion, garlic, spices and coriander and season well with salt and pepper. (For checking the seasoning at this stage, see tip below.) Using wet hands, shape the rest of the mixture into 12 cigar shapes. These can be left in the fridge for up to 24 hours or frozen (so long as the mince hasn’t been frozen beforehand) until ready to cook.
2 In the meantime, make your choice of accompaniments (see the recipes overleaf). If making them all, then start with the baba ghanouj (see page 72) as this takes the longest to prepare.
3 When you are ready to cook the koftas, add the olive oil to a large frying pan on a medium heat. Fry the koftas for 10–15 minutes or until they are brown on both sides and cooked through. Alternatively, sear the koftas quickly in a really hot ovenproof pan and transfer to the oven, preheated to 220°C (425°F), Gas mark 7 for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for a few minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, push a skewer through the length of each kofta to resemble an ice lolly on a stick.
4 Arrange three koftas on each plate. Scatter with the mint and serve with the lemon wedges and your choice of accompaniments.
Rachel’s tips
* To check the seasoning before making up the koftas, shape a little of the mixture into a small patty and fry in a pan with a little olive for a few minutes until cooked through. Taste and add more salt and pepper to the mixture if necessary.
* To make sure that you end up with the correct number of evenly sized koftas, break off pieces of the mixture and weigh them, deducting or adding more of the mixture so that each piece weighs about 50g (2oz).
(dips and pittas continued overleaf) Aubergine and tahini dip: baba ghanouj
Aubergine and tohini dip: baba ghanouj
MAKES ABOUT 550 G (1LB 3OZ) VEGETARIAN
There are many different versions of this popular Middle Eastern dip — sometimes it’s made with ground cumin or chopped mint, for instance. It is delicious served with the lamb koftas or just as a snack with some toasted pitta bread.
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 aubergines
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2–4 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
3 tbsp light tahini paste (sesame paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
125ml (4½fl oz) Greek-style yoghurt
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas mark 5.
2 Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over a baking tray. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and place skin side down on the tray. Drizzle with another tablespoon of the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Add the garlic to the tray and bake in the oven for 20–30 minutes or until the garlic and aubergines are soft.
3 Once cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the skin of the aubergine. Discard the skin and put the flesh into a food processor with the garlic, tahini, lemon juice and the remaining olive oil. Blend until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Alternatively, place all the ingredients in the bowl and purée using a hand-held blender. Allow to cool.
4 Once cool, fold in the yoghurt and almost all of the parsley. Check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary, then spoon into a serving bowl and scatter with the remaining parsley.
Coriander and mint salsa
MAKES ABOUT 200 ML (7FL OZ) VEGETARIAN
I love this sauce. It is rather like a pesto — great drizzled over barbecued lamb chops, for instance, or of course with the lamb koftas. It keeps really well in a jar in the fridge for up to a week. Just cover with a thin layer of olive oil to help preserve.
4 tbsp roughly chopped coriander, including soft stalks
2 tbsp roughly chopped mint
1 spring onion, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 150ml (5fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place all the ingredients in a food processor, season with salt and pepper and blend until fairly smooth, adding a little more oil if necessary. Alternatively, make by hand by finely chopping the herbs, spring onion and garlic and stirring into the oil. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, and place in a serving bowl.
Tzatziki
MAKES ABOUT 150ML (5FL OZ) VEGETARIAN
150ml (5fl oz) natural yoghurt
3 tbsp roughly chopped mint
½ cucumber, diced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
Juice and finely grated zest of
