Beef Kofta

It is summer at last and bbq time. These little koftas are great on the bbq and freeze perfectly as well. They work brilliantly as a make ahead canapé or starter or part of a meze type of meal. They can even be popped into some toasted pitta with some tzatziki and sliced tomatoes for a delicious lunch. I am going to give them ten out of ten, not just for the great flavour but for adaptability too.

This recipe uses beef, but lamb would work as well.

Ingredients- makes 18

250g beef mince

30g finely chopped onion

1 small bunch parsley, chopped

1 small bunch coriander, chopped

14g fresh breadcrumbs

2 tbsp beaten egg (see tips page: thinning eggwash)*

1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted and roughly chopped

0.5 tsp ground cumin

0.5 tsp ground coriander

A pinch of hot smoked paprika, to taste

Seasoning

Sturdy bamboo sticks or skewers to withstand the oven heat (soaking them in water will help)

Method

Heat oven to 200°c

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly. With damp hands, divide the mince into small balls, mine were approximately 20g each.

Mould each meatball around a stick, making an oval shape.

Cook the koftas for 10 minutes to serve immediately or 8 minutes to reheat at a later time.

To reheat, heat oven to 200°c and cook koftas on sticks for 8-10 minutes until piping hot.

Serve with tzatiki

*Handy tip

If you need to use a measured amount of beaten egg, add the salt seasoning to the beaten egg and leave for a few minutes. The salt will start to break down the proteins and leave the beaten egg more liquid and easier to measure. This is also good tip to help brush egg wash over uncooked pastry. For sweet dishes sugar will work too.

Tzatziki

Ingredients

50g deseeded, peeled and chopped cucumber. Salted and left for 30 minutes

3 tbs Greek yoghurt

0.5 tsp dried dill (or a bit more fresh)

0.5 tsp lemon juice.

Method

Rinse and dry salted cucumber. Chop dill. Mix everything together. Check seasoning.