Feta & Herb Kofta

This is the best recipe for Kofta that we've done. The standard recipe, unchanged is lovely, but I've made some notes at the end about what I've played around with.

INGREDIENTS

300 grams lamb mince 300 grams pork mince 100 grams feta, crumbled 2 spring onions, very finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed ¼ cup packed parsley, finely chopped 2 tablespoons currants, finely chopped 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground allspice 1 egg ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs sea salt and ground pepper

METHOD

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Combine everything really well. I find using my hands is best for this. Shape the mixture into logs about 12cm long (sometimes we're lazy and just make this mix into burger shapes). You should get 12 kofta.

Cover and chill for 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Heat the barbecue flat plate to medium-high and oil lightly. Cook the kofta for about 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through but not dry. Arrange on a board and serve with the toppings and accompanyments of choice. Makes 12

Cook's Tip: To jazz up the rather plain looking kofta, top with a dollop of yoghurt and any of the following: chopped pistachio nuts, barberries, harissa, finely grated raw beetroot or carrot, diced tomato, freshly chopped mint, parsley or coriander, toasted mixed seeds, drizzle of pomegranate molasses, red or white kimchi.

I serve with pita breads, lots of salad and a favourite of mine, harissa, and for cooling, lemon tahini dressing, or cous cous, feta and tzatsiki.

My experimenting:

- I've done a combination of about 450g of lamb mince and a tin of lentils really well drained. When I did this I increased the spices to 3 teaspoons of cumin, 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon and instead of the nutmeg and allspice, put in 1 teaspoon of Ras al hanout. with chiling, it all stayed together really well, and tasted delicious with the tahini dressing.