Lamb kefte

Kefte are basically Greek lamb meatballs.  They can be cooked as meatballs (fried or is a sauce, served like burgers or put on to skewers.  In this recipe they are griddled and served with minty yoghurt and a garnish of pickled onion and cabbage.

For convenience, this recipe contains the instructions for making the various garnishes and preparing the spices.  These can be done in advance.  The making of the actual kefte, is actually far more simple than would appear from first glance at the recipe..

Preparation Time: 35 Mins

Cooking Time: 70 Mins

Total Time: 25 Hrs

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

For the pickled onion and cabbage

350 gms          Cabbage  - white      

350 gms          Cabbage  - red        

350 gms          Onion  - red

700 ml             Vinegar  - white wine 

150 gms          Sugar  - granulated   

2 tsp               Salt          

1 tsp               Thyme  - fresh - chopped       

200 ml             Water  - cold          

For the ladolemono

125 ml             Olive oil    

25 ml              Lemon juice            

1 pinch            Salt          

For the anatolian spice

2 tsp               Coriander seeds       

1 tbs               Caraway seeds        

3 tbs               Cumin  - seeds        

1 tsp               Fennel seeds           

2 tbs               Mustard seeds  - yellow          

1 tsp               Paprika     

1 tsp               Garlic  - slices         

5 cm               Lemon zest

For the kefte

1 kg                Lamb  - minced       

5 gms             Anatolian spice        

75 gms            Breadcrumbs  - fresh white      

1                    Egg  - beaten         

100 gsm          Spring onions  - chopped finely 

3 tbs               Mint  - chopped       

3 tbs               Parsley  - chopped    

                      Pepper  - freshly ground, black 

                      Salt          

For brushing

                      Olive oil    

For the minty yoghurt

200 gms          Yoghurt     

1 tbs               Mint  - chopped       

To serve

4 tbs               Pickled onion and cabbage garnish         

200 gms          Minty yoghurt         

8 tsp               Ladolemono            

Method

To make the pickled onion and cabbage…

Finely shred the cabbage and onion.

Mix together the vinegar, sugar, salt and thyme with 200 ml of cold water.  Add the shredded cabbage and onion submerging it completely.  Use a saucer to weigh down the ingredients if required.

Cover and refrigerate.  After 24 hours, the garnish is ready to use.

To make to ladolemono…

Blend together all the ladolemono ingredients.  Note that the quantities specified will make more than is equired for this recipe.

For the Anatolian spice…

Spread all the spice ingredients out onto a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven at 170°C for 1 hour or until very fragrant and toasted.  Grind to a very fine powder.

To make the kefte…

Put the lamb, spice, breadcrumbs and egg into a bowl and knead together well, as if making bread.  Mix in the spring onions, mint and parsley.  Season well with salt and plenty of pepper.

Take equal size amounts of the mixture (balls of about 7.5 cm diameter) and mould them into an oval shape.  Brush them with olive oil.

Place them in a hot griddle pan and cook them for approximately 10 minutes, turning three times (so they cook twice on each side).

To make the minty yoghurt…

Combine the yoghurt and the mint.

To serve…

Serve the lamb kefte with the minty yoghurt and a pickled onion and cabbage garnish on the side.  Finish with a drizzle of ladolemono.

Wine recommendations

A robust red wine.

Conventional

     Côtes du Rhône

Interesting

     Cairanne

     Corbières

     Côtes du Luberon

     Fitou