MERCIMEKLI KOFTE
TURKEY
When one mentions kibbeh, people immediately think about the meat version, but there are many vegetarian versions, in Turkey, Syria, and South Lebanon to name but a few. The following recipe comes from a wonderful Turkish home cook, Belgin, who does cookery demonstrations for my culinary groups in her kitchen before she serves them her exquisite dishes in her dining room. Because I love to snack on them while waiting for the other dishes to be ready, I always ask her to start with this kofte. (Confusingly, the Turks call kibbeh kofte whereas the Lebanese use the word kofte to describe a ground meat, herb, and onion mixture that can be either grilled, stewed, or baked.)
SERVES 4 TO 6
1 cup (200 g) red lentils
Heaping ¾ cup (175 g) fine bulgur
⅓ cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions (10½ ounces/300 g total), very finely chopped
½ cup (100 g) Turkish red pepper paste
½ cup (100 g) tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt
TO FINISH
4 Little Gem lettuces, for serving
Olive oil, for drizzling
A few sprigs flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, for garnish
1. Rinse the lentils under cold water, then put in a medium pot. Add 2 cups (500 ml) water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender and mushy and the water almost evaporated. Add the bulgur and mix well. Cover the pot.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is very soft and golden. Add the pepper paste and tomato paste and mix well.
3. Transfer the lentil/bulgur mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the fried onions and with your hand (wear a glove as the mixture will turn your hand red) mix to a smooth paste. Add the cumin and season with salt to taste and mix again, adding a little water if the mixture is too stiff to shape easily. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
4. To finish, arrange lettuce leaves in a rosette on a round platter. Pinch off one piece of kibbeh mixture the size of a large walnut and shape it into an oval patty. Press your fingers into it to leave indents and place inside one lettuce leaf. Continue shaping the kibbeh in the same way and placing each on a lettuce leaf. Drizzle each kibbeh with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little parsley. Serve immediately.