Lamb Koftas with tasty extras

Is it just me or is lamb a hard sell? You either love it or you hate it. The gamey taste is an aquired taste. Most of the lamb you find at the grocery store in this country either comes from New Zealand or (as I found out recently) Russia. Honestly, I don't know what the farming practices are in Russia or what they feed the animals. However, I do know that New Zealand lamb has a strong flavour because it is completely grass-fed. North American lamb has a more subtle flavour because it is finished with grains. I've also found that North American lamb is far better tolerated by most palates.

I like both. However, it does depend on what I'm cooking. Although, if I'm given a choice, I will always pick local meat from happy frolicking animals than ones on the other side of the planet.

I have a supplier from a farm outside Edmonton that I have been really happy with. I've been cooking with their lamb since I found them earlier this summer.

Regardless of the kind of meat you have access to, lamb is certainly a more interesting option compared to the average chicken, pork, or beef. I like to make koftas with the meat. They're a heavily spiced Middle Eastern oval meatball. It's easy to make and a crowd pleaser.

Depending on where your meat is from, the mixture is strong enough to compliment the gamey nature of New Zealand lamb and fragrant enough to compliment a milder tasting meat.

I serve this dish with my Greek inspired salad and pomegranate molasses. Pomegranate molasses is reduced pomegranate juice. It's sweet, sour, and lightly caramelized and pairs beautifully with any kind of lamb.

Lamb Koftas with vegan Greek salad and pomegranate molasses

For the Koftas

· 2 tablespoons of Za’tar (I bought mine but here’s a recipe from Epicurious http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/zaatar-106776)

· A teaspoon of chili flakes

· ½ teaspoon each of dried coriander and cumin

· A teaspoon of paprika + more for rolling

· Half a teaspoon of salt

· 1 onion chopped finely or grated

· 2 cloves of crushed or grated garlic

· A tablespoon each of fresh chopped parsley and cilantro + more for garnish

· Zest from 1 lemon (I prefer to peel my lemons with my knife, remove the white pith, and chop the zest finely by hand for the extra hint of texture. However, zesting the lemon with a grater is perfectly acceptable.) Reserve fresh lemon for garnish.

· 2lb of ground lamb

· Fresh mint and chopped green onion for garnish

Toast all the spices in a frying pan over low heat until the spices become fragrant. Remove from heat into a large bowl to cool.

Excluding the lamb, add all additional ingredients to bowl with spices and mix thoroughly. Add lamb to bowl and use hands to mix the spices and aromatics through the lamb.

Sprinkle extra paprika onto a large platter. Form koftas by picking up a palmful of meat. Form a ball and flatten into an oval. The mixture makes about 15 koftas. Roll koftas in paprika. Leave the lamb on the plate, cover with plastic wrap, and reserve in fridge until you're ready to cook.

Make Greek salad

· Equal parts chopped cucumber and tomato

Dressing

· Tablespoon of grated Spanish onions

· Tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley

· A teaspoon of dried oregano

· Zest and juice from 1 lemon

· 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper

· 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Place cucumbers and tomatoes in a large bowl. Make dressing by combining ingredients, whisking with a fork. Pour dressing over the cucumbers and tomatoes. Cover and set aside in the fridge to marinate. To serve, spoon out desired serving leaving most of the dressing in the bowl.

I personally detest olives and I’m not a cheese person so that is why I omitted both ingredients. You are obviously free to add chopped olives and feta cheese to the salad. Make sure you taste the entire salad before adding salt as both ingredients are very salty.

How to cook the koftas and make the pomegranate molasses

You can either grill your koftas on the BBQ or cook on the stove top in a frying pan and finish in the oven.

Version 1. For the BBQ version: Preheat BBQ, scrap, and season the grill. Turn up all the burners to high. You can start grilling after the grill reaches over 400f. Grill koftas on the centre burner. Flipping after a few minutes (you will know it’s time to flip when the koftas don’t stick to the grill.) Grill the second side and after a few minutes flip back to the first side. Turn off the centre grill (the koftas are not cooked yet! So don’t remove them from the BBQ.) Cover the grill. The heat should still be on high on the outer burners. Wait until the heat comes back up to over 400f and cook for about 5 minutes or until the meat reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat and place on a serving platter.

Version 2. For the stovetop version: preheat oven to 400f. Heat frying pan over medium high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Brown koftas on both sides before finishing in the oven for 5 minutes or until the meat reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat and place on a serving platter.

Regardless of the technique you use to cook the lamb you will want to make the pomegranate molasses in a small sauce pan. It's a cup of pomegranate juice reduced over high heat until it measures ¼ of a cup. Pour over Koftas. It should be thick and sticky. Be sure not to let it reduce too far or you will end up with hard caramel.

Finish the dish with fresh parsley, cilantro, mint, and fresh lemon juice. Serve with the salad and thick slice of bread (if that’s your thing.) Enjoy!