What identifies Tekirdağ köftesi is not its spicing but its texture: a mixture kneaded long, rested for an hour, with bread in it. Skip the resting and the meatballs fall apart on the grill. The kneading should take at least ten minutes too; until the protein in the meat binds, the mixture will not hold.
Ingredients
For the mixture
To serve alongside
Method
-
Prepare the onion
Grate the onion and squeeze it thoroughly dry. Wet onion loosens the mixture.
-
Knead
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and knead for at least 10 minutes, until the mixture turns tacky.
-
Rest
Cover with cling film and chill for 1 hour. Skip this and the meatballs break up as they cook.
-
Shape
Wet your hands and form flat, finger-shaped meatballs.
-
Cook
Cook each side for 4 minutes on a hot grill or in a pan. Do not turn them often.
-
Serve
Serve with charred peppers, tomatoes and sliced onion.
Tips
- Do not use lean mince; twenty per cent fat is what saves the meatballs from being dry.
- Bicarbonate of soda softens them, but do not exceed a teaspoon or they taste of soap.
- Add no oil when cooking them in a pan; the fat in the mince is enough.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.