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İzmir köfte
Meatballs baked with potatoes and peppers
İzmir köfte: köfte, potatoes and peppers baked in a tomato sauce
Ask anyone from İzmir what their mother cooked on weeknights and İzmir köfte comes up: fingers of cumin-scented köfte, wedges of potato and long green peppers, lined up in a tray and baked in a thin tomato sauce until everything is soft and the edges catch. It is a one-tray family supper served with rice pilaf, a bowl of cacık and plenty of bread for the sauce. Chef's tip: fry the köfte and potatoes briefly before baking; that quick browning gives depth the oven alone can't.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the köfte
- 1 ⅛ lb beef mince
- 1 oniongrated, juice squeezed out
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ oz flat-leaf parsleychopped
- 1 tsp salt
For the tray
- 3 potatoespeeled, cut into thick wedges
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 long green peppershalved
- 2 tomatoessliced into rounds
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste
- 1 ¼ cups hot water
- ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Knead 1 ⅛ lb beef mince, 1 onion, 1 ⅜ oz fresh breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ oz flat-leaf parsley and 1 tsp salt for 3 minutes. Shape into 16 fingers and chill for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Heat 4 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 3 potatoes for 6–8 minutes, until golden on the outside, then brown the köfte for 3–4 minutes all over; they don't need to cook through yet.
12 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Arrange köfte, potatoes, 4 long green peppers and 2 tomatoes alternately in a 25 × 30 cm baking dish.
Step 4: Whisk 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste, 1 ¼ cups hot water and ½ tsp salt and pour over the tray.
Step 5: Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 15–20 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender, the sauce has reduced and the köfte reach 160°F. Common mistake: drowning the tray; the sauce should come only halfway up.
40 minStep 6: Rest for 5 minutes and serve with pilaf and yoghurt.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does i̇zmir köfte take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh breadcrumbs?
- Crushed crackers or cornflakes, same amount.
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