Sugar Rush Peach Beef Kofta
Sugar Rush Peach Beef Kofta
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Category
Dinner
Cuisine
Middle Eastern
Author:
Boonville Barn Collective
Servings
4-6
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Kofta, spiced ground meat grilled or baked on skewers, appears across North Africa through the Middle East, each region with its own spice signature. This version has balanced sweetness from allspice and cinnamon plus the intense fruity heat of Sugar Rush Peach chile powder. To make this all-seasons friendly, we press the mixture into a pan and score it before baking to give a skewered shape.
Ingredients
For the Yogurt Tahini Sauce
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1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
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¼ cup tahini paste
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1 teaspoon Sugar Rush Peach chile powder
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2 Tablespoons lemon juice from 1 small lemon
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1 clove garlic, finely grated
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½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Beef Kofta
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½ cup plain breadcrumbs
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1 yellow onion, grated
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3 cloves garlic, minced
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1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
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15 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
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⅓ cup pine nuts
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⅓ cup golden raisins
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2 pounds lean ground beef (85/15)
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1 teaspoon Sugar Rush Peach chile powder, plus more for serving
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1 teaspoon ground allspice
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1 teaspoon ground cumin
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1 teaspoon sumac
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½ teaspoon ground coriander
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½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
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2 teaspoons kosher salt
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1 tablespoon olive oil
To Serve
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Warm pita or flatbread, sliced cucumber, tomato cut into wedges, Sugar Rush Peach chile powder, fresh parsley and mint
Directions
Make the yogurt-tahini sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, tahini, Sugar Rush Peach Chile Powder, lemon juice, garlic, and salt until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The sauce can be made several days ahead of time.
Mix the kofta: Heat the oven to 400°F with one rack in the center position, and another in the top position closest to the broiler. In a large bowl combine the breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, mint, pine nuts, and raisins. Add ground beef, then sprinkle over Sugar Rush Peach Chile Powder, allspice, cumin, sumac, coriander, cinnamon, and salt. Mix and knead firmly for about 2 minutes until everything is thoroughly combined and the mixture feels cohesive.
Press and score: Brush a 9x13x2 baking pan (like a glass pyrex dish) with the olive oil. Transfer the meat mixture to the pan and press it out into an even layer about ¾-inch thick, spreading it all the way into the corners of the pan. Using the back of a butter knife or a bench scraper, score the surface all the way through in a crosshatch pattern; once in the middle from top to bottom and 12 across, giving you 24 rectangular pieces. This scoring makes them easy to separate after baking. Alternatively, shape the mixture around 12 12-inch skewers. If you can see raisins on the surface of the kofta mixture, poke them down into the mixture somewhat. This will help prevent them from charring once broiled!
Bake or grill: Bake kofta on the center rack for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meat is cooked through.
Broil for char: Move the pan to the top rack and switch the oven to broil on high. Broil, watching closely, until the surface develops deep golden-brown spots and the edges char slightly, a minute or two. This is what gives the oven-baked kofta that grilled character.
Finish and serve: Use a spatula to cut along the scored lines, separating each piece. Spread a generous spoonful of the yogurt sauce onto pita or flatbread, then lay 2 to 3 pieces of kofta on top. Add cucumber, tomatoes, fresh parsley or mint leaves, and dust everything with a pinch each of Sugar Rush Peach Chile Powder and ground sumac.
Recipe Note
Feel free to shape the mixture around soaked bamboo skewers and grill it instead! You can also take all the components and eat it more like a salad as well.
