Lisa's Herby Chicken Kofta

I love these balls. I mean it, when I first had them I was skeptical. My friend, Lisa J, had proposed bringing them to a “Greek-themed” dinner we were planning for a weekend away with friends. I think I made some snarky comment and wrinkled my nose in disgust but honestly, I’ve made these multiple times throughout this pandemic. They are easy to make, bright and fresh to the palate and I like the fact that you can make them with a variety of dips. I prefer the white sauce from the chicken shwarma recipe (which I’ll include here again) but Lisa made them with her version of a “magic sauce” which is great in and of itself but also for anyone who is either lactose intolerant, dairy-free or keeping Kosher.

I also like to mix up the herbs that I put into the mixture. For this version I used fresh Italian Parsley with Oregano but you can use mint, thyme, basil…whatever looks good in your garden or the market works!

I like to serve these either as a main (figure at least 3 - 4 per person) or as a side (figure 1 - 2 per person). Because it’s been so incredibly hot in these parts I served it as part of salad with roasted eggplant, an israeli salad of just cucumbers, tomatoes and Italian parsley and some fresh greens. I sliced the kofta and then used the roasted eggplant slices as a small taco. I dressed the salad with just a simple dressing of red vinegar, VOO, salt and pepper.

I put out both sauces as well as a spicy Sriracha sauce I had sitting in my fridge that I’d made for Grilled Sweet & Sour Shrimp (Recipe to come!). Use your imagination. I love mixing and matching all the different sauces. In fact, when I grilled the eggplant, I left half plain with just Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper and the on other half I tried Lisa’s Magic Sauce instead of the Miso Sesame I’ve used in previous recipes. Yum.

Enjoy!

Chicken Kofta

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped (I use the ever favorite Zyloss)

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on your taste preference you may want to increase this decrease it slightly

Approximately 2 cups parsley leaves with tender stems (honestly, I stuffed my Zyloss Food Processor to the top and figured that was close enough)

1/2 - 1 cup fresh oregano

1 pound ground chicken, preferably organic

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Process onions and garlic in food processor until finely chopped.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chopped onion and garlic, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, 10–15 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, and red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30–60 seconds. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool slightly.

Either chop or throw your herbs (parsley and oregano this time) into the processor and add to the chicken mixture. Season with the remaining salt and ground black pepper. Mix it all in, either with a spatula or large spoon or, better yet, just your hands to combine.

Shape into 2 inch "footballs" with slightly tapered ends.

Arrange “footballs” on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast, flipping halfway through, until chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 165°F, about 5-6 minutes per side.

Note: Kofta can be made 3 days ahead; transfer to an airtight container and chill, or freeze up to 6 months.

Lisa’s Magic Sauce

Ingredients

3 tablespoons white miso

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 teaspoons tahini

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey, preferably raw

2 cups cilantro leaves with tender stems

⅓ cup sliced chives

1½ teaspoons grated peeled ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Directions

Pulse miso, lemon juice, lime juice, oil, tahini, vinegar, and honey in a food processor or a blender until miso is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Add cilantro, chives, ginger, and coriander and pulse until herbs are finely chopped; season with salt and pepper.

Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Jo’s White Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt (I use Faje 2%) (confession - I was out of Mayonnaise so just used 1 cup of Greek Yogurt - never missed it!)

1/2 cup of Mayonnaise (I use full fat Hellman’s)

1 - 2 Tablespoon of Tahini

3 Garlic cloves (more if you like it really garlicky or if the cloves are small)

2 Tablespoons White Vinegar (if you like a higher acid taste you may need to add more)

2 Tablespoons fresh Dill (I just guesstimate and cut off what looks like the right amount since it’s all going in the food processor anyway.

Fresh Mint - optional (note - I did not use)

Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

Directions

Throw garlic cloves in food processor and pulse. I always do the garlic first. Add in the yogurt, mayonnaise, tahini, vinegar and pulse. Throw in the dill now and just give it a quick pulse. You don’t want it to be too chopped up. Add salt & pepper to taste. If you like it really hot, add in hot chili flakes.

Hot Spicy Sriracha Sauce

Ingredients

1 Teaspoon cornstarch

2 Tablespoons of water

4 cloves of garlic - finely diced

1 small can of tomato paste

3 Tablespoons of Sriracha

3 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar

2 Tablespoons of white or apple cider vinegar

Kosher salt & pepper

Directions

Whisk cornstarch and water in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves.

Stir the rest of the ingredients except for the salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 minute. Add the cornstarch “slurry” and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Taste / adjust salt and pepper and sriracha.

Remove from heat and let sauce cool to room temperature.