Kofta with Tahini Sauce

Do you know this feeling when you try some amazingly delicious dish and even before you’ve finished it you realize that you want to visit the country this dish is origin from? This is exactly how I feel about this Mediterranean Kofta. Every ingredient reminds me of beautiful and far Israeli. And it is not a coincidence. I always try to find some inspiration for my cooking, this time my amusement was fantastic and very talented cookbook called Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I am sure lots of you have heard about it already. The book is saturated with Jewish spices and cooking traditions. Maybe it is the reason I am so eager to visit Israeli. I can only imagine what a breathtaking culinary adventure I would have there. I guess I would gain a few extra pounds, trying to taste everything that the country could offer me. Luckily for my body shape, this is not going to happen in the nearest future. Lol! But if seriously, I feel like I have already made the first step to start learning more about wonderful Jerusalem cuisine, even if this step is inside my kitchen.

I am sure you can find many different Kofta recipes on the internet, but I really want you to try this one. Garnish it with some simple salad and this meal will highlight your day!

Kofta with Tahini Sauce

Recipe by Srima Khara

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calorieskcal

Ingredients

• ground beef – 1 lb

• ground lamb – 1 lb

• bread crumbs – 1/2 cup

• yellow onion – 1 medium, finely chopped

• garlic – 2 large cloves, minced

• toasted walnuts – 6 tablespoons, coarsely shopped

• red chili pepper – 1 small, finely chopped

• grated nutmeg – 1/2 teaspoon

• ground allspice – 1 1/2 teaspoon

• grund cinnamon – 1 3/4 teaspoon

• freshly ground black pepper – 1 1/2 teaspoon

• salt – 1 3/4 teaspoon

• freshly grated lemon zest – 1 1/2 teaspoon

• For the Tahini sauce:
  light tahini paste – 2/3 cup

• lemon juice – 3 tablespoon

• water – 1/2 cup

• garlic – 1 clove, crushed

• toasted pine nuts – 2 tablespoons

• parsley – 2 tablespoons, finely shopped

• sweet paprika – 1/2 teaspoon

Directions

• Put all the ingredients for Kofta in a big bowl and mix well with your hands or wooden spoon.
• With damp hands, shape the meat into 3 inches oval shape meatballs.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Sear kofta in batches, so they can cook evenly. Sear until golden brown about 6 minute for medium-rare.
• If you want your kofta well done, just put them in the oven (425F) for 3-4 minutes.
• In a small bowl mix, tahini paste, lemon juice, water, and garlic. Adjust to taste. Whisk well and spoon over kofta before serving.
• Sprinkle with sweet paprika and chopped parsley.