Name: Meatballs (Köfte)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4 (about 16 meatballs)
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: olive oil for pan-frying, plus extra for greasing; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) beef (such as boneless chuck), finely minced (ground) by your butcher; 1 small handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, finely chopped; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 1 slice day-old bread (about 50 g/1¾ oz); 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation info

Serves
4
(about 16 meatballs)

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
30 min

Appears in

Istanbul Cult Recipes

By Pomme Larmoyer

Published 2015

About

Meat for köfte must be well trimmed of any sinew and passed through the mincer twice. Choose fattier parts of the animal (boneless chuck for beef neck for mutton) for flavour, and to help to hold the köfte together.

Ingredients

1 slice day-old bread (about 50 g/1¾ oz)
500

Method

Soak the bread in some water until it is thoroughly wet. Transfer to a sieve, and squeeze out any excess moisture by gently pushing down with your hands. Put the soaked bread in a large bowl, and add the beef, onion, parsley and cumin. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Knead all the ingredients together for a while with your hands. Grease your hands with oil, and shape the mixtu