Pan-grilled meat patties are vastly popular in our neighborhood, the area extending from the Indian subcontinent to the Arab world and farther up to the Black and Mediterranean Sea regions. Indians call their versions: Kofta, Arabs: Kefta, and Turks: Kofteci; although different regional ingredients and spices can be used in different regions, the general concept is basically the same. The Persian word "Kufteh" is majorly referred to rice, herb, and meatballs which are cooked in aromatic broth. Iranians seem to be mostly interested in
pan fried kebabs in lieu of Kofta style dishes. The Persian dish closet to the Kofta concept is "Cutlet," shallow-fried meat and potato patty.
Here is a recipe I developed based on Greek ingredients and flavor profile.
Ingredients:
1.1 Pounds (~500 gr) 80/20 ground lamb (or beef), cold
2 shallots
2 slices preserved lemons (a quarter of a whole lemon)
1/2 TSP granulated garlic
1/2 TSP dried oregano
1 TSP dried mint
1 TSP dried basil
1 TSP salt
1/2 TSP cinamon
1/2 TSP allspice
Finely puree the shallots and preserved lemon slices. Add the puree, salt, and all the dried herbs to the cold lamb. Briefly kneed, do not over-work the meat mixture. Note that cinnamon and allspice are not added into the meat mixture and are used to dust the patties.
Form 6~8 (the size depends on your doneness preference) sausage shaped patties and grill in a hot pan set on medium high heat (just add a few drops of oil as the goal is not to fry, but to grill). Sprinkle with cinnamon and allspice and let the spices toast in oil. The spices should be sprinkled in the last thirty seconds of cooking to prevent the spices from burning. I served those beauties with dill rice, as seen above. As seen in the very top photo, I also sauteed finely chopped garlic scapes and mushrooms in the same pan and alongside the patties.
For a saucy version, you may also add 1 TBSP of tomato paste and 1/2 cup of wine to the pan. This version was served with garlic escape dill rice. It may very well be served with pasta.
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