Recipe: Make lamb kofta, a spicy Middle Eastern meat served inside pita bread

Served tucked into pita bread and slathered with a yogurt-based sauce, kofta is a spicy meatloaf-like mixture that is traditionally shaped into logs or patties. Skewered, and grilled, kofta is vibrantly flavored, rich in spices such as cumin, coriander, and allspice. Although the meat used to make them varies, ground lamb is a favorite.

Pip Payne, author of “The Slimming Foodie in Minutes: 100 + Quick-Cook Recipes Under 600 Calories” (Aster), likes to make lamb kofta for her children. She forms the meat mixture into balls and bakes them rather than skewering and grilling. She suggests “for a cheeky little addition” that readers stuff each kofta sphere with a 1/2-inch cube of feta cheese placed in the center.

Baked Lamb Kofta with Mint and Yogurt Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 pound plus 2 ounces lean ground lamb (10 percent fat)

1 brown onion, grated

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Large handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped

4 whole wheat pita breads

Lettuce leaves of your choice

Yogurt-Mint Sauce: 9 ounces fat-free Greek yogurt, small handful fresh mint leaves (finely chopped), juice of 1/2 lemon, pinch of salt

PROCEDURE

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. In large bowl, mix lamb, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, allspice, salt, pepper, and parsley until thoroughly combined.

3. Using hands, shape the mixture into balls about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. This will make about 14 to 16 balls. Place in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. If you prefer, use a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a rack to allow fat to drain as they bake.

4. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes, by which time they should be browning and caramelizing on the outside, but still tender but fully cooked in the middle. Cut one open to test for doneness. Meanwhile, in a bowl mix all ingredients for the Yogurt-Mint Sauce.

5. Toast pitas in the oven until warm. Split the pitas open and add a couple of teaspoons of the sauce; spread sauce inside. Add 2 to 3 koftas into each, along with lettuce leaves. Serve. Set leftover Yogurt-Mint Sauce on the table and any leftover koftas.

Source: “The Slimming Foodie in Minutes: 100 + Quick Cook Recipes Under 600 Calories” by Pip Payne (Aster)

Cooking question? Contact Cathy Thomas at [email protected]