Recipe #10: Kofte with Warm Eggplant Salad

I've been wanting to fix something out of a new Paula Wolfert cookbook that I picked up at one of the used bookstores here in Seattle. She specializes in Middle Eastern cuisine which is not something that I fix much of normally. This recipe is from "The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean" and it's suppose to be a great summer dish.



Kofte:
3/4 lbs lean ground lamb or beef
3 T chopped parsley
1 Large clove garlic peeled and crushed
3/4 T Turkish baharat (see recipe below)
salt and pepper
pinch of Near East or Aleppo pepper
2 t flour
2 T soda water

Warm Eggplant Salad:
1-2 Eggplants
Juice of 1 lemon
3 med vine ripened tomatoes
1-2 t slivered med-hot green chili
3 T slivered Italian green frying or green bell pepper
salt and pepper and sugar to taste
3 t fresh lemon juice
2 T slivered white onions

Flourish:
1 1/2 t unsalted butter
1/4 t Near East or Aleppo pepper

Warm pita bread

Kofte:
In mixing bowl combine all kofte ingredients and knead until smooth and blended. Divid in 4 parts.

Eggplant salad:
1. Prick eggplants several times and grill them over coals until they collapse - about 30 min. I think you could also roast in oven with olive oil for 30 min.
2. Dip immediately in cold water then peel away skin and discard stem.
3. Soak eggplant in 1 C water mixed with lemon juice for 15 min.
4. Drain the eggplants and squeeze the flesh to express all moisture and any bitter juices. Cut the flesh with a fork, spoon or potato masher.
5. Broil or grill the tomatoes. Peel, seed and crush them draining of any excess liquid.
6. Combine tomatoes with eggplant, slivered chili and green pepper, salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice and parsley. Cover and keep at room temp for up to 2 hours.
7. One hour before serving time, light a grill. Mold the kofte onto skewers and grill until firm, turning once.
8. Rub the onions with salt and let stand a few minutes. Rinse and drain. Fold into the eggplant mixture and set over low heat until just warm.
9. To make the flourish: Remove the kofte from the grill. Gently reheat the eggplant salad on top of the stove. Slip kofte off skewers into the warm salad. Immediately heat the butter in a small pan. Add the pepper , let the butter sizzle, swirl once and drizzle over the dish. Serve at once with warm pita.


Turkish Baharat:
Makes 2 T
Handful of sprigs of summer savory
1 T pickling spice
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t grated nutmeg
1/2 t dried mint
1/2 t ground cumin
1 t ground black pepper