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Recipes from my Lincolnshire kitchen

lamb koftas with mint and pea puree

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… this is my August article for Lincolnshire Life Magazine with a foodie but tenuous link to the olympic games…

… it seems as though we’ve been waiting forever but finally the Olympics are here.  I was actually in Trafalgar Square the day it was announced and it felt like the party started that day nearly five years ago!
This month I want to celebrate with some food that reflects both the Olympic heritage and of course includes some of Lincolnshire’s wonderful medal-winning produce, so I thought I’d go back to the originators of the games themselves, the Greeks, with some succulent herby lamb koftas, made with some delicious local lamb, served with a fresh pea, mint and yoghurt puree made from the abundance of peas we have growing in many of the fields surrounding us here in The Wolds and fresh mint from the garden.
The koftas are super-easy to prepare would make great barbecue food, if the weather ever decides to improve and can be made well in advance too.  I’ve made 4 plain ones and four stuffed with some incredible Cote Hill Blue Cheese.
for the lamb koftas
you will need 8 bamboo skewers
500g minced lamb
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves – crushed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
a few chunks of Cote Hill Blue
salt and pepper
for the pea puree
500g fresh garden peas – shelled (could use 400g frozen)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons TOTAL Greek Yoghurt
salt and pepper
soak the skewers in a basin of water for 10 mins to avoid them burning when cooking.
to make the koftas, dry fry the cumin and coriander seeds in a small pan for about 3 minutes then crush with a pestle and mortar, then mix all the ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined
form into 8 balls and roll into sausage shapes
flatten the sausage out slightly then place one skewer lengthways onto the meat and form the sausage back around the skewer with your hands. To make the cheese stuffed ones, simply crumble some blue cheese along the sausage before re-forming around the skewer
brush them with oil and either barbecue them or place them on a pre-heated griddle pan for roughly  minutes, turning frequently.
To make the pea puree simply boil the peas in a little water until tender, drain and then add the mint, yoghurt and seasoning and blend to a puree using a hand-held blender.
Eat and of course enjoy!

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Comments

  1. missielizzie says

    I love pea puree – I'd eat it with everything if I could.

    What a great article submission, love how you've tied local ingredients to the Olympics.

  2. Sue/the view from great island says

    I'm a huge fan of Middle Eastern food, and for some reason I've never gotten around to making this. I'm so glad you posted it, it's perfect for summer and I'm definitely going to make them. The blue cheese addition is brilliant!! Looking forward to the opening ceremonies tonight…

  3. little macaroon. says

    Don't want to make you feel old … But it was over seven years ago. I know, crazy huh? Announced on 6 July 2005, and then the following day, bombs went off down the road from my office. One week before my wedding. Strangest days.

    Wish someone would magic those koftas up to me, they look gorgeous. Xx

  4. Eileen says

    Lamb is definitely one of my favorite things–and that mint and pea puree sounds like a perfect accompaniment!

  5. Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes says

    Aren't you the clever one, making a Greek dish for the Olympics! What a great idea! I really enjoy Middle Eastern food, especially hummus, tabouli and tzatziki! I like the idea of these kabobs on the grill, I'll bet they smelled heavenly too!

    What's your favorite olympic sport?

  6. StephenC says

    We grow a lot of lamb (not to mention sheep) in this country. And yet it surprises me that lamb is an expensive meat to buy. We need more demand me thinks. Your recipe here will certainly contribute to that in a positive way.

  8. Mark Willis says

    Sounds wonderful. Serve with a Greek Salad too, I think! This type of kebab works well on metal skewers too. The heat from the skewer cooks the meat from the inside as well, so you don't have to leave it under the grill for so long. (And of course the skewers themselves don't burn!)

  12. Susan Lindquist says

    Oh! I DO want to try these, Dom! I've been spending the month trying others' recipes instead of posting my own efforts … The Spice Garden is taking a bit of a break this summer … what can I say? Fan, fan, sigh … the heat is intense here and everything is drying up … you could send some oif that rain our way! We'd gladly take it!

  15. corrie says

    We were getting a little sick of mince dishes and kofta is a great way to cook mince. I love the choice of spices in your recipe. 🙂