KOFTA RECIPE: MIDDLE EASTERN MEAT LOGS

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This is one of my “lazy ass” recipes. It takes almost no time to cook, almost no time to prep and packs an unfair amount of flavor for the lack of effort put into it. It’s also a way of finding another place for those winter greens. Whenever I’m referring to pumpkin pie spice, I’m always referring to the Trader Joe’s version; their version has the addition of cardamom and lemon peel.

Instructions

1. Put the meat into a bowl with salt, pepper, garam masala, pumpkin pie spice, curry, paprika, handful of chopped parsley, egg, panko. Then mix and scrunch together with clean hands and mold mixture into 10 logs.
2. Over medium heat, put the logs into a cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, searing them and turning when golden brown. When they are browned (and not cooked through), remove from the skillet and set aside.
3. On medium heat, add another tablespoon of olive oil and sweat your aromatics. Add tomato sauce and your stock or water. Add your sofrito. Return your meat logs to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Add your roughly chopped swiss chard and place into the liquid mixture, ensuring some of the leaves are submerged. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. Pour yogurt, lemon juice, zest, diced cucumber, chopped parsley and mix together in a small container.
5. Serve with couscous, rice, naan or even potatoes. Top with cucumber yogurt mixture.

Tips | You don’t really need all of these spices. The garam masala is the most important and makes the dish pop. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a package of ground meat, use a butcher and purchase only what you need. You’d be surprised by how some of their prices are comparable to supermarkets.