Beef koftas

This kofta recipe is an adaptation from a traditional Turkish recipe. We use a pan for this recipe, but you could also cook them on a BBQ. The mix of spices in the köfte gives them a delicious Middle Eastern feel.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup medium-grain rice
• 400 g minced (ground) chuck steak
• 1 egg
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp allspice, ground
• 1 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1 small handful dill, chopped
• butter for cooking

Method:

Cook the rice in lightly salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain in a colander or sieve, and rinse under cold running water to cool it down; drain again. In a medium bowl, combine the cooled rice with the meat, egg, onion, spices and dill. Season with salt.

Using both hands, knead all the ingredients together for a few minutes. Slap the ball of meat on a clean work surface five or six times to drive any air out of the mixture and make the meat very compact. Using your hands once again, shape into long meatballs, you will end up with about 20 köfte.

Melt a generous knob of butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Pan-fry for about 10 minutes until the köfte are golden brown on both sides, working in batches so that you do not crowd the pan and adding more butter as needed. Serve hot with steamed greens or a side salad.