Ingredients

1kg lamb mince 40g Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely 40g coriander, chopped finely 2 onions, finely diced 1t paprika 1t cumin 2ml cinnamon pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 cup pine nuts, toasted 2 eggs oil for frying

Method

Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry golf-ball-size amounts of the mixture for about 1 minute on each side until they develop a crisp, nicely browned exterior. About half an hour before you are ready to serve the koftes, preheat the oven to 180°C and put them in for about 10 minutes until they are hot and cooked through. Serves 8 – 10 Note: To make beef, chicken or turkey koftes substitute the same quantity of minced lamb for beef, chicken, or turkey. Add lots of chopped, soft herbs like mint, coriander, parsley and dill to the meat. Koftes can also be cooked like meatballs in a tomato sauce and served with tahina sauce on the side, or as Mediterranean burger canapés by slipping a kofte into a bun. Recipes and styling Tal Smith and Nirit Saban Photographs Russell Smith Sababa: Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cooking by Tal Smith and Nirit Saban with Nikki Werner, Jacana Media, R280. This recipe originally appeared in HL March 2014 READ MORE: Crispy tofu sandwich Calamari in tomato chilli Green curry pork meatballs