How to Make Izmir Kofte

Izmir kofte is a very popular meatball dish, both in Turkey and the world throughout. However, no standard recipe exists for making this traditional entree. The meatball recipe is fairly basic, but different recipes vary on how to proceed from there. Try variations on the recipe yourself to find out how you prefer this tasty dish. Here is a basic recipe to get you started:

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 1 lb. ground meat (lamb is traditional, but any kind of ground meat works)
• 1 onion
• 1 egg
• About 4 slices stale white bread
• 2 potatoes
• 1 green pepper
• 1 can (14.5 oz) tomato puree or equivalent tomato-based product
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for frying

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Crumble bread into breadcrumbs.
3. Put the onion in a food processor to get it to a fine, almost liquid, consistency.
4. Combine the meat, onion, egg, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper. Mix well. Roll the mixture into round or oval-shaped meatballs about the size of a walnut.
5. Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs until done. Remove the meatballs from the pan.
6. Add more oil to the pan. Cut the potatoes into wedges (or slices, if desired) and fry them. Slice the pepper and add it to the potatoes as they are frying. You can also use a different pan and fry the potatoes and peppers at the same time you are frying the meatballs.
7. Place the potatoes and peppers on a baking sheet. Put the meatballs on top. Cover everything with the tomato puree (you may not need the entire can).
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
9. Try a variation on this recipe by stewing the meatballs in a tomato sauce instead of baking them. Add some flour--about 2 tbs.--to the pan after you have fried the meatballs to create a thick paste. Then add the tomato puree (or tomato sauce) and allow the meatballs to simmer. Add a little water if the sauce is too thick. Serve over the fried potatoes and peppers.

Tips & Warnings

• Try this dish over a bed of rice. Or use rice in the meatballs instead of breadcrumbs.