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Adana kofte with pitta bread, spicy tomato sauce and yoghurt
Serves 6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 900g minced lamb or beef
- 100g lamb suet, frozen and finely grated (optional)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- large bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 15g fine salt
To serve
- 6 pitta breads
- 1 x quantity spicy tomato sauce (see recipe, below)
- 6tbsp Turkish or Greek yoghurt
Spicy tomato sauce
- 100ml extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 red chilli, sliced, seeds left in
- 1tsp pul biber (Turkish chilli flakes)
- 1tsp açi biber salçasi (Turkish hot pepper paste)
- 500ml tomato passata
- 1tsp thyme leaves
- 1tsp caster sugar
- 2tsp sherry or red wine vinegar
Method
Combine the mince, suet, onion, parsley and salt. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste and knead well for 5-10 minutes. Divide into 85g pieces and shape into small oval patties. Chill the koftes until needed.
Heat a barbecue until the coals turn grey, then grill the koftes over medium-hot coals, seasoning with a little fine salt and turning them regularly. If you have a metal grill for sandwiching fish on the barbecue, use that. If not, just be careful when turning them over.
Grill the pitta breads on the
barbecue and cut them into strips,
then add some tomato sauce, pile
on the koftes and top with yoghurt.
Spicy tomato sauce
Heat the oil in a small saucepan,
add the garlic, red chilli, pul biber
and açi biber salçasi and cook
gently. Once completely soft, add
the passata and 100ml water.
Season with sea salt and black
pepper and simmer over a low
heat for at least 30 minutes,
stirring occasionally. If you can
cook it for 1 hour, all the better,
as it will intensify in flavour. Finish
by adding the thyme, sugar and
sherry or red wine vinegar. Set
aside and keep warm.
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