Lamb Kofta

Sometimes a great meal is inspired by a great wine, like this Lamb Kofta. A couple of years ago, during an amazing weekend in the Finger Lakes, I found Red Feet Wine in Ithaca. It was a very special shop and I was able to buy a Lebanese wine. Last December I realized that the wine was getting up there in years, particularly since I was storing it at room temperature. I knew it needed to be opened asap and required a worthy dish. I called my sister, who is a winemaker and baker and we decided we would make a Lebanese feast for Christmas dinner. This menu is based around that night. The hummus and pita recipes are based on the ones Heidi selected for the occasion and I prepared the other dishes. This kofta recipe was strongly influenced by a meal at Kanella in Philadelphia. I had a grilled ground lamb dish there that was full of apricots and onions. Though now that I’ve made it several times, I slightly prefer the dried sour cherries to the apricots. You’ll have to try the Lamb Kofta both ways and find out what you like best. And if you’re looking for ideas for sides, the Lamb Kofta was the main dish for my Middle Eastern Feast.

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Lamb Kofta

Lamb Kofta are a sort of hamburger, with dried fruit, herbs, spices and a new shape, perfect for a Middle Eastern menu and delicious on pita as leftovers.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Author: Barrett Bridenhagen

Ingredients

• ½ cup diced dried apricots or cherries
• 1 cup diced onions
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons fresh oregano
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon anise seeds
• 1 pound ground Lamb

Instructions

• Sautée the onions until soft over medium low heat.
• Add salt and the garlic. Make sure to keep the garlic from burning. The onions and a low temperature will protect it.
• Add apricots and spices (not the fresh oregano) to the sautee pan.
• Cook for 2 minutes until well combined. Let cool to room temperature.
• Add in the chopped oregano. Mix together with the meat. Your hands work best for this.
• Shape into 4- 6 oblong patties.
• To cook, a grill or frying pan works well, but keep in mind that lamb is a fatty meat and especially on the grill make sure flame isn’t too hot. I use a grill pan on my electric stove.

Notes

Alterations:
Summer BBQ: 2 level tablespoons sumac (if you can find any) or the zest of one lemon (finely grated) and thyme instead of the oregano lighten it up for summer.