Izmir Kofte
(From the Aegean Region)
Kofte Ingredients:
~300 gr medium ground beef
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 medium size onion, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
For Frying:
1/2 cup liquid oil
4 tbsp flour
Sauce:
2 large tomato, peeled, seeds discarded, cut in cubes
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp crushed tomato, in a can
1/2 or 1/3 cup water, depending on how juicy you want it, I used 1/2
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 cubanelle pepper, stems cut off, seeds discarded, cut in 4 pieces
Mix all the kofte ingredients using your hands in a large bowl. Divide it in 12 pieces and give each a long shape, as shown in the picture. Pour the liquid oil in a frying pan and heat it up. Place the flour on a plate and roll each Kofte in it. Fry the Kofte evenly for about 3-4 minutes. Afterwards, place them on a paper towel to soak up extra oil. Arrange in a casserole dish.
To prepare the sauce, put all the sauce ingredients in a small pot except the oregano and cubanelle peppers. Cook for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Pour the sauce all over the Kofte. Sprinkle oregano top and arrange cubanelle peppers on top.
Preheat the oven to 375 F (180 C). Place the dish on the middle rack of the oven. Cook for about 30 minutes. My mum always served one of Izmir's best known Turkish recipes with home-made French Fries. I do the same and they go very well together:)
Turkish Style French Fries
4 medium sized white potatoes, peeled, sliced however you like
Liquid oil
Fill medium sized plastic bowl halfway with water and add 1 tbsp salt in it. Soak the potato slices in it for about 20 minutes. Heat up the liquid oil in a frying pan. Drain the potatoes, but don't rinse them and dry with a paper towel. When the oil heats up, fry the potatoes until golden brown. Afterwards, place on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil. Serve while still warm.
Makes 3-4 servings.
Meal Ideas:
- Green Lentil Soup, Feta Cheese Pie, Creamy Yogurt Dip, Pide and Almond Pudding.
1 Comments:
Binnur - this was fabulous. My husband and I really enjoyed it.
Just to share, because I am always looking for a way to reduce the oil used in Turkish cooking, I tossed the potatoes in about 2 Tbs of olive oil and kosher salt and baked them on a baking sheet for about 45 minutes. Also, I used 90% lean ground beef and about 1/4 cup of oil to cook the kofte in and it came out fine. Next time I will try using less oil and a nonstick pan. I love Turksih food but we have to save the full on versions for our trips over there - they are very generous with their oils.
Also, my husband mentioned that when his mother makes this she cubes the potatoes and bakes them without frying first. That will also be in my next version.
Absolutely lovely - keep up the great work - I check your site often for ideas!
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