Dinner Mediterranean Cravings Turkish Recipes

Tender Izmir Kofte

Name: Tender Izmir Kofte
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1/2 cup small bulgur, soaked in 1/2 cup boiling water.; 1 1/2 pound ground meat; 1 teaspoon mint; 2 teaspoons oregano, paprika, and Aleppo pepper, and sea salt; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 2 Turkish green peppers or 1/2 a bell pepper, finely chopped; 2 generous tbsp tomato paste; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 4 cups boiling hot water or broth; 1-2 russet or yokon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into a large diced; 1-2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a large dice; 1-2 onions, sliced into wedges; 2 Turkish green peppers; 2-4 small tomatoes, sliced into wedges; 2 tablespoons olive oil

February 8, 2022 0 Comments

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This kofte recipe is inspired by the city of Izmir here in Turkey. Juicy meatballs crafted with tiny balls of bulgur, baked with a spiced tomato base alongside sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, peppers, and onions. It’s the perfect dish to feed a hungry family.

Reasons to Love This Recipe

This hearty dish feeds a crowd and all of the ingredients fit in one large baking dish for an easy clean-up.
Alos, it’s very Economical. If you are from Turkey, you’ll already know that meat is expensive. That said, one very useful solution is to bulk up the meatballs by adding tiny balls of bulgur. Cleaver, right?
I’ll have you know, this kofte is Baked not fried. Less oil is used and more veggies are incorporated.
As mentioned before, this dish has many tasty veggies baked alongside the kofte. Also, if you don’t want to add tomatoes or potatoes don’t worry. This recipe is very versatile. Use what you like and what you have on hand.

How to Make Kofte

First “cook” the bulgur

Add the bulgur to a heat-safe bowl. Pour boiling hot water over the bulgur and cover the bowl with a cloth or seran wrap for 20 minutes.
It’s importnent to use 1:1 ration when “cooking” the bulgur. If you add too much water, it will be too soggy and unpleasnt.
When ready, fluff the bulgur with a fork until nice and fluffy.

Season the meat

Add the meat, fluffy bulgur, diced onion and peppers, garlic, and spices together and mix well until combined.
Marninate for a minmun of 30 minutes.
I like to create the meatballs by using a cookie scoop. This will ensure each ball is about the same size, thus ensuring all kofte is evenly cooked through at the same time.

Create a spiced tomato sauce

All you have to do is grab a heat safe bowl, add the tomato paste, spices, and hot water. Give it a whisk unti fully incorporated and there you have your perfect sauce to pour over everything just before baking.

Put the potatoes under the meatballs

First, put all of the potatoes on the bottom of gthe baking dish. Toss them in olive oil and salt to season and to ensure no sticking. Place the meatballs direclty ontop. You see, the meatball dripping are going to flavor the potaoes emensly. So tasty!

Tips and Variations

If you don’t want to use bulgar, swap for breadcrumbs, or simply omit the ingredient altogether.

Chop the green peppers and onion as finely as you can. This will help the meatball to hold its shape.

Marinate the meatballs for a minimum of 30 minutes for optimal flavor. Also, the longer the marination, the better.

Finally, You can make the kofte ahead of time, freeze them, then use them when you need to.

Serve Alongside These Sides

This dish would go perfectly alongside my Avocado Cacik, Roasted Spiced Celery Root with Jasmin Rice, or Garlicky Cabbage and Carrot Yogurt Meze.

Can I Make This Dish Ahead?

Yes! Simply prepare the recipe as usual and instead of putting it straight into the oven, wrap it in foil and bake when you are ready. I would keep it in the fridge no longer than 1 day. Keep it in the freezer for up to a month.

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