Summer Dinner Recipe: Turkey Koftas with Toasted Pita
Turkey is not just for Thanksgiving – it’s great all year round. This take on a traditional Middle Eastern lamb dish is perfect for the hot summer months when lamb might be too heavy a meal. The herb-yogurt is refreshing and packs a flavorful punch. A few toasted pitas to complete the meal – and your weeknight dinner dilemma is solved.
Do you like to use turkey all year round? Or do you save it for the holidays?
Turkey Koftas
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon
coriander seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon
cumin seeds
- 1 pound
ground turkey (dark meat preferable)
- 1/2 cup
spring onions (or a mild-tasting onion such as Vidalia), finely diced, divided
- 2 tablespoons
finely chopped mint
- 2 tablespoons
finely chopped dill
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoons
freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 2
Kirby cucumbers
- 1 cup
plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons
olive oil
- 2
medium tomatoes cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 4
whole wheat pitas, warmed in an oven or a toaster
Instructions
In a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and grind, using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.
In a large bowls, combine turkey, 1/4 cup spring onion, 1 tablespoon mint, 1 tablespoon dill, ground spices, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix together until well combined and form into 8 oval patties.
Finely dice one of the cucumbers; slice the other cucumber into 1/4-inch slices and set aside by the tomatoes. In a small bowl stir together the diced cucumber, yogurt, and the remaining onion, mint, dill, salt, and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook the patties until browned on all dies and cooked through about 12 minutes. Divide the patties, the tomatoes and sliced cucumber among the pitas. Top generously with the yogurt-cucumber sauce, fold to enclose and serve.
(Images: Olga Massov of Sassy Radish)