I'm laid in my garden, on the old sheep field hill that we were lucky enough to bag ourselves, supping a crisp, ice cold sav blanc. The ice-cream van is humming a childhood symphony and I'm travelling back in time to a sweet place of Mr Whippy, lashings of cascading raspberry sauce and the notable Cadbury's flake. I think I'll call this a slice of Yorkshire paradise. Disclaimer: it's only a 9/10 as the sav blanc is about 2 miles out of reach, perching on a paving slab step, as it's the only flat inch of this garden. I'll have you know a glass of anything good in this garden, is a risky game to play.
But, that's beside the point. The old waiting game of heating the BBQ up got me dreaming of lamb and feta koftas. Juicy. Flavoursome. Totally Moreish. They're packed with a perfect punch of spice, mint and garlic that leaves you lingering around the grill in search of any hopeful leftovers (you'll be lucky).
I opt for mine on a bed of wild rice, dotted with halved olives, chopped chunks of cucumber and finely sliced onions. Sprinkle over a nice coating of finely chopped mint and finish with a perfectly symmetrical glaze of balsamic vinegar. I mean, this is all if you're a presentation perfectionist like me - I can't deal with those critical thoughts running ransack in my head! The real star of the show here is the kofta, sub up the sides for whatever tickles your fancy. Toasted pitta, flatbreads 0r naans up your street?
STAR ELEMENT - Tzatziki dip.
You cannot, should not and will not eliminate this critical component at any cost (allergy dependant, of course). Make your own or pop on down to Morrisons, but whatever you do, dollop the dip! I like to add three good spoonfuls in between the koftas for a creamy, cool & refreshing flavour. Tzatziki to lamb is as good as the coffee to your head on the Monday morning 6:00am alarm.
Let the recipe roll! Now, please be patient; I'm no chef, just a lover of good food, attempting to share her favourite juicy flavours. There is a first for everything and here it is, the lemon's first recipe...
To feed three (or two, if you're a household of hungry food lovers), you'll need:
500g of Lamb Mince I use 15%-20% fat as it creates a tender juiciness
1/2 - 3/4 of a 170g pot of harissa paste depending on your spice and flavour preference If you're looking for next level flavour, you must use Belazu Rose Harissa
1 red onion half finely chopped for the koftas, half finely sliced for the garnish
2/3 of a packet of 200g feta cheese crumbled into small pieces
1 bunch of mint you only need the leaves - finely chop the leaves and half into two small piles
To serve, you'll need:
1 1/2 mugfuls of basmati and wild rice I've always measured it in mugs to avoid a mountain of excess rice - we've all done it
1 cucumber chopped into little chunks
1 small jar of olives, whichever you prefer pitted and sliced in half
2 x tubs of Tzatziki
Some drizzles of Balsamic Glaze
Now you have your ingredients, we can get one step closer to the good part. The good part being, devouring this delightful summer dish. Follow me...
- Throw the mince, finely chopped onions, crumbled feta and half of the mint into the bowl. Season with a few twists of cracked black pepper.
- Spoon the harissa paste on to the top of the ingredients in your mixing bowl. Line a baking tray with foil to avoid a messy washing up experience. Dig your hands in to the bowl and mix. Once the ingredients are combined, use your hands to mould it all together into a big ball.
- Take small chunks of the mixture and roll into oval koftas with your hands. Place them on the lined baking tray and set aside. At this stage, you should make 9 koftas - three for each person. If you like your koftas bursting with flavour, I highly recommend leaving them in the fridge for the day or overnight to allow them to marinate. You can cook them immediately, however, they won't have that same juicy burst of flavour.
- When you're ready to cook, heat the grill on max for 5-10 mins. Place your koftas on the top shelf and let them sizzle for 4-5 mins. Turn them over and return to the grill for a further 4-5 mins. Do not over cook the koftas - they will go dry and lose their juicy, moist texture!
- When your koftas are cooking, prepare and dish up your sides. If you're serving with rice, this can be cooked prior to the koftas and served cold as a salad. Spoon your rice into a serving plate or bowl, sprinkle over sliced onion, cucumber and olives and gently lay three koftas on top. Dollop a few good spoonfuls of tzatziki around the koftas, drizzle a circle or two of balsamic glaze and throw on a handful of chopped mint - voila!
Olive this recipe a little too much - you can never have enough of the kofta.
H x