Delicious Meatball Recipe

Instructions

1. Set your oven to 200 0 C(400 0 F) on grill mode.
2. First, we are going to start with making the kofte mixture. Put 500 grams of ground meat in a large bowl. You can use a plate, rib, or brisket but keep in mind that the closer the meat to the bone, the tastier it will be.
3. Add 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and you can also add half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes if you like, but your kofte will be a little bit hot if you do so. Baking soda is essential for a perfect kofte mixture. It will tenderize the meat and give it a softer texture.
4. Add half to1 teaspoon of salt. You can adjust to salt amount to your taste. Best way to do that; cook a small patty of kofte after kneading and tasting. You can change the salt if it is too much or less.
5. Crumble 1 heaping tablespoon of dried purple basil and do not forget to leave the stems out of your mixture.
6. Last but not least, add 2 handfuls of chopped pistachios into your mixture.
7. Knead for around 7-8 minutes or until the meat, and spices are mixed very well.
8. Divide the kofte mixture into 2 balls, one must be slightly larger than the other.
9. In order to shape your kofte mixtures, you are going to need 2 clean plastic bags. After making sure that both of your mixtures are well rounded, place the larger ball between the plastic bags, then roll it into a 1-1,5 cm thick, and around 20 cm(8 in) circle. The diameter could vary depending on the size of your pan. If you have a künefe pan like me, that would be perfect to cook with.
10. Butter your pan abundantly and place the kofte in it.
11. Shape the smaller ball, and set it aside.
12. Then you need to peel 1,5 strips off of your string cheese (you can also use mozzarella cheese), then strip them into thinner strings to make it easier to fill the kofte and to melt the cheese. After that, fill the kofte with your cheese strips.
13. Cover the bottom later with the smaller layer you set aside earlier, and gently push it down to let out the air that is trapped inside. Don’t forget this step as it’s going to prevent your kofte from bursting during cooking.
14. Make sure to seal the edges of your kofte. You may wet your hands as it’s going to prevent the meat from sticking to your fingers.
15. Put your pan on low heat and cook the kofte for about 4-5 minutes. If you have a thicker pan, it is probably going to take more time to sear the kofte.
16. Then place it into the oven on the fourth rack from the bottom. Roast it in the oven for another 10 minutes.
17. While it’s cooking, chop 2 handfuls of pistachio and mix it with a handful of kadayif. If you don’t have roasted kadayif, you can roast them in a pan for a couple of minutes.
18. Warm the kadayif and pistachio in the pan to enhance the flavors, then add 2 pinches of salt flakes and half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Turn off the heat.
19. Put 2 tablespoons of kaymak into the pan and cover them with kadayıf, pistachio mixture. You can shape into quenelles if you like to.
20. When the kofte is ready take out from the oven and put the kaymak on top of it, then sprinkle the rest of kadayif mixture on it.
21. Your delicious kofte disguised as künefe is ready to fill your mouth with all of its rich flavors and texture.