Turkish Meatballs (Koftë) With Tomato-Pepper Sauce

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 them from each other. In my not-so-humble opinion, all of them are fabulous. 

One of my personal favorites are these kofte from Turkey. 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 was able to compare the flavor of freshly ground spices with the flavor of those that came pre-ground in a jar was a wide-eyed revelation for me. If you can grind your own, I highly recommend it.

I like to have uniformity in the size of my meatballs, so I use a scoop to measure them out. A 1½ to 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.

1½ 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

½ cup ice cold water

Olive oil for frying

chopped parsley for garnish

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

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—but don’t discount the possibility of using dairy-free yogurt . . .

Tomato-Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

2 large red bell peppers

a glug of good olive oil

1 medium white or yellow onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed

½ cup water

1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for roasting the peppers

several twists of the pepper mill

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cloves

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 400°

• Cut the peppers in half and remove the white part and the seeds. Coat them very well with olive oil and place them, skin side down, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper. Slide the pan into the oven and roast the peppers for 30 minutes, or until the skin is turning black and blistering.

Alternatively, if you have a gas cooktop you can roast the peppers, whole and uncut, over an open flame instead. Just put them directly on the grid and turn them repeatedly until they’re blackened on all sides.

• Immediately put the peppers, whichever way you roasted them, into a ziplock bag and seal it. The peppers will steam and continue to soften. Wait 20 minutes, then remove the peppers from the bag. The skins should slip off easily while they’re still hot. Dice the peppers and set them aside.

• Pour a glug of olive oil into a sauce pot and sauté the onion until it’s soft and translucent.

• Add the garlic and the diced peppers and sauté for a few more minutes to soften the garlic and allow the flavor to release. Don’t let it brown.

• Add the tomatoes, the water, the salt and pepper, and all of the spices.

• Cook the sauce for 30 minutes, stirring often to make sure it doesn’t stick. If the sauce is getting too thick, add a little more water as needed.

• Purée the sauce using an immersion blender or a food processor, then cover the pot to keep it warm.

• To serve: You can add the kofte to the pot of sauce and stir gently, then turn it into a serving dish, or put the kofte on a dish by themselves and serve the sauce on the side.

• Add some fried potatoes to the plate and some Vermicelli Rice. I know, double carbs . . . but it’s traditional. Serve with a tomato cucumber salad.

Did you make it? Was it fabulous?