Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce - a Middle Eastern Taste Treat

Kofta or Kufta is a delicious type of meatball/meatloaf dish with many variants from Morocco through Afghanistan. Wikipedia has an informative article at (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofta). 

I recently tried a version that my wife found in the Publix Supermarkets' magazine, "Grape." (That was the last print issue of the magazine.) According to the Grape article, this version is from Turkey. It was easy to make and delicious, but took me a bit of time to prepare because I am a slow chopper.

This version includes lamb, dried apricots, onion, garlic, and various herbs and spices. It could also be made with beef or pork; and one could certainly substitute dried fruits such as figs, or cherries, or raisins for the apricots. It is served with a Tzatziki-type yogurt sauce. 

The article about the recipe said it serves six. However, the two of us demolished it with no problem.

When eating the meatballs, I cut them in half and dipped them in the yogurt sauce.

Our only side dishes were grapes, and a lettuce and mozzarella salad with olive oil and balsamic.

A. Kofta
Ingredients
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves coarsely chopped garlic
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp ground coriander
1/2 Tsp ground cumin
1/4 Tsp ground cinnamon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°

2. Line a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan with foil

3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and process until ingredients are thoroughly blended. I blended the meat, apricots, and onions first; then the herbs, then the spices. (I added one third of the spices at a time to try to blend them as thoroughly as possible.)

4. Shape this mixture into about 30 meatballs that are 1 & 1/2 inches in diameter. It came to 27 meatballs. Place the meatballs into the foil-lined pan as you make them.

5. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until  browned and cooked through (to 160°). You may wish to turn them about half way through the baking. I did not, so they ended up very dark on the bottoms. That did not affect the taste.

6. Serve with yogurt sauce.

B. Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used two small containers of Chobani Greek Yogurt - 5.3 oz each.)
1/3 cup shredded cucumber (This took about 1/3 of a medium-size cucumber. I diced it finely rather than shredding it.)
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint. (I used dried mint.)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp ground cumin.

B. Directions
Stir ingredients in a bowl, cover, and chill for 1 to 4 hours before serving.