Just about every region of the world has some sort of meatball on their menu. Local spices, the type of meat used, and the sauces that accompany them are what distinguish each of them from the others. In my not-so-humble opinion, all of them are fabulous.

In Turkey, each region has its own style of meatballs, of which the locals are very proud. One of my personal favorites are these kofte. They’re traditionally made with lamb, but feel free to use beef, or half lamb/half beef if you prefer.

Not only are the meatballs of the world distinct from one another in flavor, they also vary in texture. If you want to achieve the traditional texture of these Turkish kofte, it’s important to adhere to the ingredients and method described in this recipe.

Most recipes for meatballs, Turkish ones included, call for finely chopped or grated raw onion to be mixed in with the ground meat. That said, something in the way these two ingredients react to each other in cooking makes me ill. Every time. You’ll see that here, and with all my other meatball recipes, I sauté my onion and allow it to cool before working it into the meat. It’s another step, yes, but I like feeling good, rather than ill, after I eat. I also like the additional flavor that caramelizing the onion adds to the finished product. If you’d prefer not to pre-sauté the onion, feel free to add it in raw.

The first time I experienced the flavor of freshly ground spices, as opposed to that of spices that come pre-ground in a jar, was a consciousness-revelation. If you can grind your own, I highly recommend it. It takes literally minutes to toss some whole spices in a clean coffee grinder and go whoosh, and it’s so worth the extra step.

I like to have uniformity in the size of my meatballs, so I use a cookie scoop to measure them out. A 1 ½—2 inch scoop is perfect for these. For hors d’oeuvres, make them smaller.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced small and slowly sautéed in a splash of olive oil with a dash of salt until nicely caramelized, and set aside to cool.
1 pound ground lamb (or beef, or half and half)
2 large cloves garlic, grated or minced.
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon urfa pepper or Aleppo pepper, more or less to taste
A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda combined with 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice in a small bowl
1 egg
½ cup soft fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup ice cold water
Olive oil for frying

Method:

In a large bowl, combine the meat with the salt and the spices. Use your hands to knead the seasonings into the meat until you have a thick, sticky paste—about 5 minutes. The secret to keeping it from all sticking to your fingers is to keep your hands wet.
Add the egg, the breadcrumbs, the water, and the parsley, and massage them into the meat mixture until all is homogenous.
Cover the bowl, pop it into the fridge, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Overnight is fine, too.
Scoop some of the mixture into your wet hands and form the kofte. You have some choices here—make them round like balls, or flatten them into patties, or make football-like ovals, or set your kofte football across your palm and gently squeeze, creating ridges with your fingers. These are all traditional shapes. Lay out the kofte on a baking sheet as you make them.
Heat some oil in a skillet until it’s shiny, but not smoking. Add the kofte and fry them over low/medium heat, turning them, until they’re nicely browned on all sides. You’ll probably need to do this in several batches. Success tip: Don’t over-crowd the pan because they will be difficult to turn, and they’ll end up stewing, rather than frying.

You can serve them just as they are.

Or, serve them over a bed of warm babaganoush, with basmati rice on the side.

If you don’t keep kosher, another choice is to whip some yogurt with mint and finely chopped cucumber and serve it as a dip for the kofte—and don’t discount the possibility of using plant based yogurt for a dairy-free version.

Or, make a sauce. This Tomato-Pepper Sauce is perfect.

Tomato-Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

1can San Marzano tomatoes

1 large white or yellow onion

2 large red bell peppers

4 cloves garlic 3 tablespoons Kofte spice mix

1 Teaspoon (2.5g) each of Cumin, Coriander, Sweet Paprika and Sumac. 1 teaspoon (.26g) Dried Mint

1/2 Teaspoon (1.23g) each of Cinnamon, Allspice, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cayenne Pepper (optional)

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