Big Boy’s Brunch

This recipe is dedicated to The Urge, a good friend, former colleague, rock chick and Spurs fan who describes herself somewhat self-deprecatingly as the silly blonde from Finnish Karelia.

After Dilbert-like days fixing bits of the internet in the booming London Docklands of the ’90s, we occasionally numbed ourselves with wine, beer and food in the local pub and tapas bar. Having lived there previously, The Urge is a frequent visitor to the Greek islands and regularly posts ‘count down to Greek holiday’ items on her blog, invariably accompanied by a picture of gorgeous Greek food.

A recent visit to her blog set my mind to thinking about such food and, with five hungry and fussy mouths to feed tonight, I decided that kebabs of some description would fit the bill nicely. Easy to prepare, easy to cook, easy to serve, kebabs (or gyros to our US and NZ cousins) can represent a pretty well balanced meal when accompanied by salad. The recipe below was more than adequate to feed five of us.

Lamb Kofte

If you plan to grill or barbecue the kofte, you can place three or four each on (pre-soaked) bamboo or metal skewers. Alternatively, simply shallow fry them in batches and transfer them to a warm oven until you are ready to serve.

2 slices bread
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
¼ mint leaves, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 small onion, minced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
500g. ground lamb
Pita breads
Tzatziki (cucumber yoghurt salad)

Reduce the bread to a fine crumb in a food processor and transfer to a large bowl. Add the parsley, egg, mint, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, cumin, coriander, mix well and then work in the lamb by hand. Shape the lamb mixture into pieces like a small elongated egg – these are called koftes – and set out on greased paper on a baking sheet. Keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill or freeze and then bag for future use. Shallow fry or cook over a medium/hot grill for 5 to 7 minutes, turning or moving a couple of times to ensure even cooking.

To make tzatziki, simply add grated or finely diced cucumbers to yoghurt. Depending on what recipe you read, you can then add varying amounts of any or all of the following to taste – minced onion, garlic, dill, parsley,mint. Once you have it to your satisfaction, season with a little olive oil, a teaspoonful of vinegar and perhaps an olive or two on top.

Serve the kofte in warmed pita with tzatziki, hummus and perhaps a little shredded lettuce if you feel like it, not to mention a large glass of your favourite wine.

Click on each image for full size before and after goodness.