Mediterranean Deliciousness!

Mediterranean food is a definite favorite in our household! Our good friends the Yilmaz's have tought us a lot about the fabulous "eats" there are to choose from, and one of our best loved dishes is Kofta. "Kofta" is a turkish meatball made with beef or lamb, (or both). It can be grilled, baked or pan fried.

So after many years of enjoying the way my friend Elvin makes it, I finally decided to give it a try myself.  Last night we enjoyed Kofta with a fresh Middle Eastern Chopped Salad, Tzatziki sauce (gotta love that stuff), some rice, and warm pita bread. It was an easy meal to make, and it tasted stupendous!

A wine reccomendation would be our favorite turkish red, YAKUT Kavaklidere http://internationalcellar.com/r/products/kavaklidere-yakut-2007/ . Its perfect with this meal.

If you have a hankering for dessert, how splendid would some homemade (or store bought) baklava be?!

Yummy yummy.... Here are the recipes for both the Kofta and the Chopped Salad. They serve 6...with a little leftover (or maybe not) ;-)

TURKISH KOFTA

3 cups fine breadcrumbs
3 lbs lean ground lamb                                    
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp pepper
3 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp allspice
2 tsp dried mint or dill
6 cloves garlic, chopped
one onion, chopped
6 tablespoons fresh parsley
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Using a food processor (or using plastic gloves and your hands like I did) Combine the breadcrumbs, lamb, and the eggs until mixed well. Then add the spices, garlic, onion, and parsley. Mix very thoroughly. Form into longish meatballs (see photo).

Then pan fry them in the olive oil until they are fully cooked, turning occasionally. You can also try grilling them or cooking them in the oven, if you prefer. Just be sure they are fully cooked on all sides. Then they are ready to serve!

MIDDLE EASTERN CHOPPED SALAD

(this recipe is taken from the book Eating Well For Optimum Health by Dr. Andrew Weil)

2 cucumbers, peeled and diced

4 fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

4 scallions, trimmed and chopped                                   

1 sweet yellow or green pepper, seeded and chopped

6 Tbsp pitted and chopped Kalamata Olives

4 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup (or more) of feta cheese, crumbled

Combine all ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.