Greensboro Birds

Mmm, smell the spices! Today I revived a favorite dish that Josh and I used to get at Turkish restaurant Hemsin in Sunnyside, Queens: Lamb kofte. Since Memorial Day is a time to relish our freedom, I thought it was a good time to continue freeing ourselves from missing the foods we thought we’d never eat again since leaving the city. (Kind of like our Indian feast last Thanksgiving.)

We bought this delicious ground lamb last weekend at the Chinqua Penn farmers’ market from the nice folks of nearby Massey Creek Farms. I’d never cooked with lamb before, but I’ve been hankering for kofte and knew it was time to figure it out. I found the kofte recipe at Formaggio Kitchen. I then put together the required baharat spice blend (you can order it, but you probably already have the ingredients to blend it yourself). I also ordered the maras and urfa peppers from Turkish Taste, which sent generous amounts of each pepper at an extremely reasonable price, as well as a box of Josh’s favorite Turkish Delight. Turkish Taste is like an online version of the Turkish grocers we shopped at in Sunnyside.

According to Josh, I “hit it out of the park.” It was surprisingly easy and insanely delicious. Here’s what’s on the plate:

• Lamb Kofte
• Garlic yogurt sauce (spooned over kofte, with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts. ASIDE: I made two quarts of yogurt Saturday night—no lie!)
• Hummus (this is the best recipe, feel free to improvise; buy tahini at Amazon—seriously)
• Rice (add a dash of turmeric and cumin)
• Broccoli from Josh’s square foot garden

Now to consider the Fourth of July menu…