Try this at home!
These little koftas are a juicy bite from heaven, packed with pine nuts, parsley, garlic and chilli that perfectly compliment the layers of black raspberries, blueberry and fennel spices found in 2020 Night Red Wine. Scroll below to experience this paring for yourself!
Kofta b'siniya
Serves 6 (makes about 18 kofta)
Recipe sourced from Yotam Ottolenghi's Jerusalem: A Cookbook
For the sauce:
2/3 cup / 150 g light tahini paste
3 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup / 120 ml water
1 medium clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp / 30 g unsalted butter or ghee (optional)
toasted pine nuts, to garnish
finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
sweet paprika, to garnish
salt
For the Kofta
14 oz / 400 g ground lamb
14 oz / 400 g ground veal or beef
1 small onion (about 5 oz / 150 g), finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
7 Tbsp / 50 g toasted pine nuts, coarsley chopped
1/2 cup 30 g finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 large medium-hot red chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
3/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 1/2 freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
Tip: For these kofta, buy your meat freshly ground by your butcher, if you can. The lamb should be shoulder and the beef a good nonstewing cut. If you get the meat from a supermarket or another grocer, cook it through, just to be on the safe side. Finish the dish with butter only if you are serving it straightaway and consuming it all at once. Otherwise leave it out, as it sets quickly, which isn't very nice. Serve with pita and cucumber and tomato salad.
Method
Step 1
Put all the kofta ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix everything together well. Now shape into long, torpedo-like fingers, roughly 3 1/4 inches / 8 cm long (about 2 oz / 60 g each). Press the mix to compress it and ensure keach kofta is tight and keeps its shape. Arrange on a plate and chill until you are ready to cook them, for up to 1 day.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 425° F / 220° C. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini paste, lemon juice, water, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. The sauce should be a bit runnier than honey' add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed.
Step 3
Heat the sunflower oil in a large fying pan over high heat and sear the kofta. Do this in batches so they are not craped together. Sear them on all sides until golden brown, about 6 mintues per batch. At this point, they should be medium-rare. Lift out of the pan and arrange on a baking sheet. If you want to cook them to medium or well done, put the baking sheet in the oven now for 2 to 4 minutes.
Step 4
Spoon the tahini sauce around the kofta so it covers the base of the pan. If you like, also drizzle some over the kofta, but leave some of the meat exposed. Place in the oven for a minute or two, just to warm up the sauce a little.
Step 5
Meanwhile, if you are using butter, melt it in a small saucepan and allow it to brown a little, taking care that it doesn't burn. Spoon the butter over the kofta as soon as they come out of the oven. Scatter with the pine nuts and parsley and then sprinkle with the paprika. Serve at once.
Don't forget the wine!
Pair with 2020 Night Red Wine.
Cheers!
