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Turkish Meatballs stuffed with Apricots: Köfte Dolmasi
I learned these stuffed meatballs from Turkish chef friends while
hanging out as “Guest Chef” at Café Istanbul when they were getting started in
Decatur several decades ago. “Köfte” (kouff-TAY) means meatball in Turkish
while “dolmasi” means stuffed.
Turks, as well as Kurds, Iraqis, Syrians, and others in the
region stuff many kinds of foods, from phyllo pastry sheets, to onions, to
cabbage, to eggplants, to peppers, to grape or cabbage leaves, to zucchini.
They even stuff chicken breast and meatballs. The meatball stuffing can be
dried fruit, feta or other cheese, chopped nuts, or a combination.
Meatballs are one of my favorite forms of food, as you might
guess from checking some of the other recipes in this blog. Meatballs called
kufta, kofta, kefta and köfte throughout the region along the ancient Silk Road
have extraordinary variety, exotic yet delicate fragrances -- and occasional
surprises. Lamb is the favored meat there, but beef, or even chicken can be
used too.
The original version appears to go back to ancient Persia,
as do many other classical meat, rice and yogurt dishes that now reach from
Greece and the Balkans all the way east to India. In Persia they were named for
“kuftan,” meaning chopped or pounded in a mortar,
Various sauces or condiments would traditionally accompany
this type of meatball, the simplest being lemon to squeeze on. Other options include
lightly salted garlic-scented yogurt, cucumber-yogurt sauce (cacik/tzatziki), lemon-tahini
sauce, or lightly cinnamon-scented tomato sauce. The traditional accompaniment
would either be a rice dish or flat bread.
The recipe will serve four people.
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
1 teaspoon olive oil for frying onion
1 pound ground lamb (or beef or a combination, including
chicken), not too lean
2 tablespoons quick oatmeal (or mince old fashioned oatmeal
on cutting board with chef’s knife)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 to 6 dried apricots (depending on size), finely chopped
Olive oil for glazing
Minced parsley for garnish
Mince then fry onions until softened. Transfer to mixing
bowl.
Combine with remaining ingredients other than apricots, oil
for glazing, and garnish. Knead ingredients together well.
Divide meat into 8 equal portions. Divide chopped apricots
into 8 portions.
Form a portion of meat into a flat patty. Place one portion
of apricots in middle. Fold meat over and gently seal together to keep apricots
in middle. Shape back into round ball, rolling gently between your hands. Place
on baking sheet, jointed side down.
Rub a little olive oil on top of meatballs. Roast in 375
degree oven about 12 minutes (a little longer if chicken is included among the
meats).
Serve dusted with minced parsley. Accompany with lemon wedges
to squeeze on, or see the sauce ideas in the background notes, above.
