Turkish-Style Kofte with Baba Ganoush and Yogurt Sauce

I lived in Turkey for a couple of years when I was a kid — my dad was in the Air Force and we had an apartment in a high rise in Ankara, the country’s capital. Living in Turkey and being exposed to Turkish culture and cuisine at a young age was game changing. I loved the adventure of exploring this new place through its food, its history, its art and its warm and generous people. This dish is a simple way to bring the deep, delicious flavors of the Turkish kitchen to your own.

Recipe by Catherine Neville

Kofte

  • ½ lb ground beef

  • ½ lb ground lamb (if you aren’t able to source ground lamb, just double the amount of beef)

  • ½ cup grated onion

  • ¼ cup fresh breadcrumbs

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • ¼ cup chopped fresh mint

  • ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

  • 2 tsp ground cumin

  • 2 Tbsp hot paprika

  • 3 tsp ground sumac

  • 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano

  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  • ½ tsp baking soda

  • ⅛ cup water

  • 1 tsp lemon juice

| Preparation - Kofte | Combine beef through salt and pepper in a large bowl, mixing with your hands to combine. In a small bowl, mix baking soda, water and lemon juice and add to the meat mixture. Knead for 10 minutes and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Form meatballs and thread onto flat skewers (rather than needle-like as the kofte may fall off of that type of skewer)  if grilling. If broiling, skip the skewers. Grill kofte for five minutes per side or until just cooked through. Don’t overcook as they will dry out. If broiling, broil for about 10 minutes, with the rack in the middle of your oven.

Baba Ganoush

  • 2 eggplants

  • ½ cup tahini

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • ½ tsp hot paprika

  • juice of 2 lemons

  • ½ tsp ground cumin

  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  • good quality olive oil

| Preparation - Baba Ganoush | Roast eggplants over an open flame on your grill or on your gas cooktop until blackened and collapsing, about 30 minutes. Put in paper bag and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Scrape roasted eggplant flesh into bowl and add tahini, garlic, paprika, lemon juice and cumin. Mash with a fork until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with a generous dose of good olive oil.

Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 cup full-fat Greek-style yogurt

  • juice of ½ lemon

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • pinch salt

  • good quality olive oil

  • freshly ground black pepper

| Preparation - Yogurt Sauce | In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and salt until well combined. Drizzle olive oil on top along with a few grinds of pepper. Serve.

| To Serve | Serve with pita bread, thinly sliced raw red onion, baba ganoush and yogurt sauce. 

Catherine Neville