Lamb Kofte

One of my best friends from medical school is from Kuwait.  She is an amazing cook and I’ll never forget the first time she cooked for me – lamb kofte.  I didn’t get the recipe from her (I want it!), but when I saw this one in What to Cook & How to Cook It: Fresh & Easy I thought of her, and knew I had to make it.  

I cooked these up in a frying pan, but the BBQ or broiler would work just as well.  The cookbook recommends serving the kofte with pita bread and tzatziki.  I like it to keep my refined foods to a minimum, so I served the meat with tzatziki to dip, and a simple quinoa and mint salad on the side.  Tabbouleh would also be a great accompaniment, or really any salad / vegetable.

Lamb Kofte with Quinoa Mint Salad

Ingredients

• 2 onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup dried apricots (or raisins)
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• 800g (1 3/4 lb) ground lamb
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Finely chop the onions, garlic, apricots and mint and put in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add all other ingredients to the bowl and mix with your hands.
3. Shape the mixture into 25-30 1-2 Tbsp balls.
4. Chill for 30 minutes (or up to 2 days if you want to make ahead).
5. Cook in a large frying pan in a little olive oil at medium - high heat until browned on the outside and cooked through.