Lamb Kofte with Shaved Carrot Salad + Garlic Yogurt
Kofte is a minced meat kabob popular in Turkey and the Middle East, and it’s one of the most delicious things ever. The meat is scented with mint, parsley, cinnamon, and allspice — formed into cigar shapes — and traditionally is grilled over a fire. In this simplified version, you sauté the meat instead. It is served over grains and sweet peas with a quick garlic yogurt sauce, which lends just the right amount of creaminess. Excerpted from Build-a-Bowl by © Nicki Sizemore. Used with permission of Storey Publishing.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1/4 cup grated onion (grated on the large holes of a box grater)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 cup cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
Salad
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large carrots
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bowls
- 1 1/2 cups thawed frozen peas or cooked fresh peas
- 1 batch cooked grains see recipe notes
Instructions
Make the lamb
- Combine the lamb, onion, ¼ cup of the mint, ¼ cup of the parsley, 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, the cinnamon, and allspice in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Using your hands or a fork, stir to evenly incorporate all of the ingredients. Shape the meat into eight 4- to 5-inch cigars. Let sit while you prep the salad.
Make the salad
- Whisk together the lemon juice, honey, and cumin, and season with salt and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrots into long ribbons into the bowl (shave until the carrots get too thin or wobbly — save the rest for snacking). Toss to coat. Fold in the remaining ¼ cup mint, ¼ cup parsley, and 2 tablespoons pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Working in batches if needed, arrange the kofte in the pan in a single layer. Cook, turning occasionally (nudge them carefully with tongs), until browned on all sides but still pink in the middle, 6 to 9 minutes total (if the kofte are sticking, give them a few minutes longer to brown completely — they should loosen once browned). Transfer to a plate and let cool for 5 minutes
Build the bowls
- Stir the peas into the grains.
- Spoon the grains and peas into bowls. Arrange the kofte and the carrot salad over each and dollop with the garlic yogurt.
Notes
- For the 'Cooked Grains' component, cook 1 cup dry of your favorite grain, rice or seed. Nutrition information includes 1 cup of barley, the grain that I used.
- To make Garlic Yogurt, combine: 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 garlic clove grated on a Microplane, 1 7-ounce container of Greek Yogurt (preferably 2% or whole-milk) and salt and black pepper to taste. Nutrition information does not include Garlic Yogurt.
Nutrition
Calories: 729kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 912mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 10310IU | Vitamin C: 40.3mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 5.8mg
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