Greek lamb koftas
55 minutes
Pan-fried lamb meatballs make a delicious filling for warm pita bread pockets, packed out with a crisp cucumber and leafy salad. Serve with cherry tomatoes.
Zoë Harpham
4 people made this
Ingredients
Serves: 6
- 350 g extra lean minced lamb
- 1 egg
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 ¾ cups (100 g) fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup (30 g) chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, flat-leaf parsley and mint
- 6 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 50 g rocket
- 6 large pita breads
- 1 lemon, cut into six wedges
- ½ telegraph cucumber, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup (85 g) low-fat natural yogurt
Directions
Preparation:40min ›
Cook:15min ›
Ready in:55min
- To make the kofta, put the lamb in a large bowl and break it up with a wooden spoon. Add the egg, garlic, oregano, thyme and onion and mix well. Add the breadcrumbs and use your hands to mix well.
- Have a large board or plate ready, then roll the lamb mixture into 24 even walnut-sized balls. Flatten the balls slightly on the palm of your hand to make small patties, about 5 cm across and about 1 cm thick.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the koftas, nudging them up to each other — they should just about fit, as they shrink as they begin to cook. Cook over a high heat for 2 minutes until browned underneath, then turn them over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, turn the patties again and cook for about 8 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, and turning the patties once more, until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, mix the chopped fresh herbs with the spring onions and rocket. Warm the pita breads in a toaster or under the grill, turning them once.
- Slit the pita breads open and place four koftas in each. Add some cucumber slices and herb salad and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Drizzle with yogurt and eat at once.
COOK'S TIP
The kofta can be prepared a day or two in advance and refrigerated or frozen until you are ready to cook them.
EACH SERVING
1 portion vegetables
VARIATIONS
Ring the changes — try minced pork with sage, or minced chicken or turkey with tarragon. * Instead of filling pita breads, roll up the kofta and salad in wraps. Spread the yogurt over the wraps first. * The cooked kofta could also be tossed with 2×400g cans of chickpeas, 200g halved cherry tomatoes and the herb salad, then topped with cucumber raita.
