Taste

Kofta B'siniya

2020 Night
2020 Night Red Wine
When we began pondering the perfect pairing for our 2020 Night Red Wine, the first thing that came to mind was Kofta b'siniyah. A type of lamb meatball found in found in Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines, our favorite recipe comes from Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook Jerusalem.

These little koftas are a juicy bite from heaven, packed with pine nuts, parsley, garlic and chilli that perfectly compliment the layers of black raspberries, blueberry and fennel spices found in 2020 Night Red Wine. Scroll below to experience this paring for yourself!
Kofta Pairing 3
Pair this with 2020 Night Red Wine
When we began pondering the perfect pairing for our 2020 Night Red Wine, the first thing that came to mind was Kofta b'siniyah. A type of lamb meatball found in found in Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines, our favorite recipe comes from Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook Jerusalem.

These little koftas are a juicy bite from heaven, packed with pine nuts, parsley, garlic and chilli that perfectly compliment the layers of black raspberries, blueberry and fennel spices found in 2020 Night Red Wine. Scroll below to experience this paring for yourself!
Ingredients
For the sauce:
2/3 cup
light tahini paste
3 Tbs
freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup
water
1-2 cloves
garlic, crushed
2 Tbs
sunflower oil
2 Tbs
unsalted butter or ghee (optional)
to taste
salt
to garnish:
toasted pine nuts
finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
sweet paprika
For the Kofta:
14 oz
ground lamb
14 oz
ground veal or beef
1 small
onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves
garlic, finely chopped
7 Tbs
toasted pine nuts, coarsley chopped
1/2 cup
finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 large
medium-hot red chile, seeded and finely chopped
1.5 tsp
ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp
ground allspice
1.5 tsp
nutmeg
1.5 tsp
freshly ground black pepper
1.5 tsp
salt
Tip: For these kofta, buy your meat freshly ground by your butcher, if you can. The lamb should be shoulder and the beef a good nonstewing cut. If you get the meat from a supermarket or another grocer, cook it through, just to be on the safe side. Finish the dish with butter only if you are serving it straightaway and consuming it all at once. Otherwise leave it out, as it sets quickly, which isn't very nice. Serve with pita and cucumber and tomato salad.
Instructions
Put all the kofta ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix everything together well. Now shape into long, torpedo-like fingers, roughly 3 1/4 inches / 8 cm long (about 2 oz / 60 g each). Press the mix to compress it and ensure keach kofta is tight and keeps its shape. Arrange on a plate and chill until you are ready to cook them, for up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 425° F / 220° C. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini paste, lemon juice, water, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. The sauce should be a bit runnier than honey' add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed.

Heat the sunflower oil in a large fying pan over high heat and sear the kofta. Do this in batches so they are not craped together. Sear them on all sides until golden brown, about 6 mintues per batch. At this point, they should be medium-rare. Lift out of the pan and arrange on a baking sheet. If you want to cook them to medium or well done, put the baking sheet in the oven now for 2 to 4 minutes.

Spoon the tahini sauce around the kofta so it covers the base of the pan. If you like, also drizzle some over the kofta, but leave some of the meat exposed. Place in the oven for a minute or two, just to warm up the sauce a little.

Meanwhile, if you are using butter, melt it in a small saucepan and allow it to brown a little, taking care that it doesn't burn. Spoon the butter over the kofta as soon as they come out of the oven. Scatter with the pine nuts and parsley and then sprinkle with the paprika. Serve at once.
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