Lamb Koftas

These tasty skewers of ground lamb are sweetly spiced with flavours of the Middle East and the freshness of dill and mint. Serve with baba ghanouj (a grilled eggplant puree that's available in many supermarkets and at All The Best Fine Foods), finely chopped onion and tomato, Taratoor Sauce (recipe below) or tzatziki, and warm pita breads.

Ingredients

2 lbs (1 kg) ground lamb
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh dill, chopped
1/4 (60 ml) cup fresh mint, chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) lemon zest, grated
1 1/2 (7 ml) tsp salt
1 tsp (5 ml) cumin
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Soak 32 bamboo skewers in water for about an hour.

Combine meat, onion, garlic, herbs, lemon zest and seasonings. Squeeze mixture with your hands until well blended and smooth.

Wet hands lightly, divide mixture into 32 equal portions and form into uniform cylinder shapes. Thread each cylinder onto a damp bamboo skewer and set on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or as long as overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Place skewers on a hot, lightly oiled grill over high heat. Grill for 8 – 10 minutes, turning until nicely browned and cooked through.

If you prefer, the mixture can be formed into patties and grilled for Greek Burgers. Tuck patties into warm pita breads and add roasted peppers, crumbled feta and tzatziki.


TARATOOR SAUCE:

Taratoor Sauce is a traditional Middle Eastern accompaniment to Lamb Koftas. Combine 1/2 cup (125 ml) tahini, 1/3 cup (75 ml) fresh lemon juice and 2 cloves finely minced garlic with enough warm water (4 – 5 tbsp/60-75 ml) to make a sauce of pouring consistency. Season to taste.

Comments / Notes:

Recipe from Best Summer Weekends Cookbook by Jane Rodmell, founder of All the Best Fine Foods.

Robert Lamont is the Director of Catering and Retail Operations at All The Best Fine Foods. Robert works closely with Jane Rodmell, the company's President, Executive Chef David Cousins and Mario Totaro, the Pastry Chef to bring All The Best clients the most exciting take out gourmet cuisine in Toronto. All The Best Fine Foods has been a leading gourmet food retailer in Toronto since it's inception over two decades ago. Using the freshest ingredients available and no fake flavourings All The Best is the destination for all your food and entertaining needs.