Koftas, or Turkish lamb kebabs, are a perfect opportunity to try Alberta’s excellent lamb and use some of the delicious mint that is plentiful at this time of year.
Ingredients
450 g ground lamb or beef
½ small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, softly crushed and finely chopped
Pinch cayenne
¾ tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs (15 mL) olive oil
½ cup packed mint, finely chopped
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
½ tsp salt and pepper, or to taste
Preparation
- Mix the ingredients together, then pat and shape the ground lamb (or beef) into a sausage shape about 12 cm long and 3-4 cm thick.
- Next, insert an oiled skewer through the middle length of the kebab, end to end. On a well oiled grill, barbecue for 8 minutes, or to your satisfaction.
- Serve with the tzatziki, in pita bread if you wish.
A mint and yogurt sauce is the perfect accompaniment to these koftas, but is also a versatile sauce to have available to use as a salad dressing, with meat, or just enjoyed as a dip. You can even add two cups of cool vegetable stock and voila – you have a lovely cold Mint and Yogurt Soup.
Ingredients
1½ cups (360 mL) yogurt
1½ cups mint leaves
1 medium cucumber, or four small ones, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
¼ cup of pine nuts (optional)
½ tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs (15 mL) olive oil
To taste salt and pepper
Preparation
- For a smooth sauce, combine everything into a food processor or a blender: the yogurt, mint leaves, cucumber, lemon, garlic, pine nuts, cumin, salt and pepper, and the olive oil. Blend until smooth.
- For a sauce with a little more texture, finely chop everything and mix it in a large bowl. It's more time consuming, but the texture is wonderfully chewy and the bits and pieces are still recognizable.
A salad and a beer make this the perfect summer dish.
