Tekirdağ köftesi
Grilled meatballs with bean salad
Tekirdağ köftesi: Thracian grilled köfte with piyaz beans and roasted peppers
In Tekirdağ, on the Sea of Marmara, köfte houses have been grilling the same small, flat, oval meatballs for a century: beef and a little lamb, bread, cumin and nothing much else, cooked over charcoal and served in rows with white bean piyaz, roasted green peppers and a dusting of chilli. The meat is lightly kneaded, so it stays juicy and tender. Make it on a barbecue in summer or a ridged pan in winter. Chef's tip: knead the mince with the bread and let it rest overnight; the flavours meld and the köfte hold together on the grill without any egg.
- Total time
- 32 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the köfte
- 14 oz beef minceabout 20% fat
- 5 ½ oz lamb mince
- 2 ⅛ oz stale white breadcrusts removed, soaked and squeezed
- ½ oniongrated, juice squeezed out
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
To serve
- 14 oz cooked white beansdrained
- 1 red onionthinly sliced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- ½ oz flat-leaf parsleychopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Knead 14 oz beef mince, 5 ½ oz lamb mince, 2 ⅛ oz stale white bread, ½ onion, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda together for 5 minutes, until smooth. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
120 minStep 2: Toss 14 oz cooked white beans with 1 red onion, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and ½ oz flat-leaf parsley for the piyaz and set aside.
Step 3: With wet hands shape the meat into 20 small ovals about 1.5 cm thick.
Step 4: Heat a barbecue or ridged grill pan until very hot. Grill 4 long green peppers until blistered, then the köfte for 3–4 minutes a side, until well browned and cooked through to 160°F. Common mistake: pressing them on the grill; the juices run out and they dry.
10 minStep 5: Serve the köfte with the piyaz and peppers, dusted with 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes).
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tekirdağ köftesi take?
- About 32 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 12 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 ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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