Lamb | mamieggroll

Turkish Lamb Kofte Meatballs on a skewer

When we backpacked Turkey last fall, the Mo and I practically lived off doner kebabs (gyros) and grilled meats. One of my favorite dishes that I often ordered were Köfte or Köfta, Turkish meatballs. I had them with grilled rice, in pita breads, on buns similar to burgers.

Turkish Kofte Meatball burger in Olympos, Turkey

Grilled Lamb Kofte Lunch at a restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey

Unlike American meatballs made with ground beef or veal (or in my case, I like to use 1/3 veal, 1/3 beef and 1/3 pork), Turkish meatballs are traditional made with minced lamb meat. This is also the case with the Greek, Lebanese and many other middle eastern countries.

I looked up a few different recipes online and was influenced by a handful of them so this recipe is not “original” but a combination of a few recipes.

I wanted to use the skewers that we bought in Kas, Turkey but since we have about 2 feet of snow around the Weber, I opted to bake them. You can also pan fry the meatballs also.

Turkish meat skewers

Tonight’s meal featured Turkish lamb Köfte meatballs, seafood casserole, short grain white rice, Joseph’s pita bread and yogurt. All we are missing now is some apple tea and baklava.

Mami Eggroll’s Turkish Delight

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground lamb
1 egg
1 tablespoon of olive oil
One generous handful of flat parsley, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 small Vidalia onion
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/4 cup of unseasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon of cumin
optional: 1 teaspoon of chili powder

Directions:

Mince the garlic and onions into tiny pieces. I used a small food processor to save time.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to fold the meat mixture thoroughly.

Pick up a golf ball size amount of meat and add a dab of water to your opposite hand.

Roll the meat into a ball and gradually shape it into a oblong shape. I haven’t perfected this yet. The shape you chose is optional. You can do the traditional round meatballs, or flattened meatballs or the oblong meatballs.

Set aside on a cookie sheet with a lip. This is important because the meat releases oil and you do not want the oil to drip into your oven. (For an easier cleanup, line the cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil)

Bake the meatballs at 375 for 20 minutes.

Turkish Kofte Meatballs

Serve with rice or in a pita bread.

Shrimp Casserole

Shrimp Casserole at a restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey

I couldn’t just serve one Turkish dish tonight so I wanted to make something that complimented the meatballs. I picked up a really cool copper casserole dish at a consignment shop in Nashua so I wanted to make a casserole. Unfortunately, I Googled if I could use the copper dish for cooking or serving food and it wasn’t recommend, therefore I can only use the dish “for show” only.

In Turkey, we also had a few different shrimp and seafood casseroles. I remember it being rich and cheesy and flavorful.

Ingredients:

10 large shrimps, peeled and deveined
one small vidalia onion, chopped
1 handful of chopped flat parsley
1 cup of tomatoes
Optional: 1/2 cup of mushrooms
Optional: 1 chopped jalapeno
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of Adobo seasoning
1 cup of Mozzarella shredded cheese
1 cup of bell chopped bell peppers (I used a combination of red, yellow and orange)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of water

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil until a light smoke appears. Add the onions, garlic and optional jalapeno. Saute the mixture until the onion browns. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, parsley and optional mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.

Add the cup of water and bring to a boil. Let the mixture continue to boil for 5 minutes and add the salt, pepper and adobo seasoning.

Add the shrimp and cook for a couple of minutes until the shrimp turns pink. Pour the sauce into a casserole dish and top if off with Mozzarella cheese. Broil the cheese lightly for a nice crisp crust. ( I skipped this part)

Serve with bread or rice.

Whole Lamb on Spit
(I didnt’ make or prep this, but I thought it was cool)

Today was my first catering gig for a good friend that I met through work. It was her daughter, Ayanna’s Christening. I have to admit I am exhausted and I couldn’t have done it without the Mo. While I was in the kitchen cooking, he was doing everything else outside. We make a pretty good team!

Overall, I think it went pretty well. I guess the dishes were all pretty simple to make but the hardest part was prepping, packing, and presentation. Everything had to be out a specific time at its peak freshness. I had to multitask a few times, like fry the eggrolls while mixing the salad or laying out the shrimp.

Shrimp Cocktail

Oh I almost forgot, cleaning is also a bitch as well as packing up the chafing dishes.

I was signed up to prep a few appetizers and side dishes as well as help set up the buffet table before the guests arrived at the reception. While everyone was at the church, I prepped the food so that it would still be warm and fresh when patrons arrived.

I also helped out with picking up beverages and extra things as well as loaned my chafing dishes, platters, tables and chairs. (My mom really stressed that we had enough tables and chairs to accommodate our family gatherings when we bought our house)

The Greeks definitely know how to throw a party. The booze kept flowing while the Greek music blared in the background. The mouth-watering fresh lamb on the spit roasted for hours while flavorful skewers of chicken and pork were readily available to snack on in addition to the grape leaves and spanakopita. If you haven’t busted your belly by then, there was an array of delectable desserts including home made Greek pastries and a delicious cake from Konditer Meister.