Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

12 beef meatballs (köfte)

2 banana shallots, chopped

1 crushed garlic clove

½ tbsp plain flour

2 tsp ras el hanout spice mix (see below for recipe if needed)

300ml chicken stock

150g hummus

150g natural yogurt

Handful of freshly chopped mint

Handful of freshly chopped parsley

3 tbsp pomegranate seeds

3 tbsp toasted pine nuts

You can find the recipe for ras el hanout spice mix here.

Method

Put 2 tsp olive oil in a flameproof casserole (with a lid) over a medium heat and brown 12 meatballs all over.

Add 2 chopped banana shallots and 1 crushed garlic clove and cook gently, stirring, for 8 minutes or until the shallots are soft and the meatballs are cooked through. Remove the meatball/shallot mixture with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Whisk ½ tbsp plain flour and 2 tsp ras el hanout spice mix  into the oil, then gradually whisk in 300ml chicken stock to form a smooth sauce.

Combine 150g hummus and 150g natural yogurt in a bowl, then stir half into the sauce and heat through.

Return the meatball/shallot mixture to the casserole, cover with the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes to reheat.

Serve the meatballs topped with the remaining hummus/yogurt mixture, a small handful each of freshly chopped mint and parsley, 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds and 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts. Serve with couscous or flatbreads.

Recipe courtesy of Delicious Magazine

The post Recipe: Turkish beef meatballs appeared first on Fethiye Times.

You can serve them as a meze, starter or as a main course with rice, pasta and steamed vegetables.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 225gr/ 8oz ground beef
• 225gr/8oz ground lamb
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 2 eggs
• 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 400 gr/14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
• 30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 8 fl oz./1 cup water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Small bowl of water with a drizzle of olive oil aside to shape the köfte

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F
2. In a large bowl, combine the grated onions, eggs and parsley and knead well. That will help soften the onions and blend the ingredients homogeneously
3. Stir in the ground meat, season with salt (about 1 – 2 tsp.) and ground black pepper to your taste Knead for a good 3-5 minutes with your hands, until the mixture becomes elastic and mixed well
4. Cover this ground meat mixture with a cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
5. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the garlic and bell peppers. Sauté for 5 minutes, while stirring often
6. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and 8 fl oz./ 1 cup of water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir, cover and simmer on medium to low heat for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat off
7. Take out the ground meat mixture from the fridge to shape meatballs. Have a small bowl of water with a drizzle of olive oil near you
8. Wet your hands and take a small walnut size of the meat mixture and roll into a ball. Place the meatballs in a baking tray ready cook side by side and continue until all the meat mixture is shaped into mini köftes (meatballs)
9. Bake the mini köftes in the pre heated oven (180 C / 350 F) for 25 minutes, they will start to get a nice golden brown coating
10. Transfer the baked mini köftes in a large baking dish and pour in the pepper and tomato sauce around them, giving a gentle mix
11. Bake the mini köftes in tomato and pepper sauce for a further 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken, the flavors blend in and meatballs will have a wonderful coating
12. Serve hot with plain rice and Cacık dip of cucumber, yoghurt and mint if you like

This lovely meatballs in peppery sauce recipe and many others are included In Özlem’s Turkish cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland.

 Signed hardback copies are available at this link and are delivered worldwide.

Afiyet Olsun

The post Cooking with Özlem – baked Turkish mini meatballs (köfte) in pepper and tomato sauce appeared first on Fethiye Times.