These kofte/kefthedes are very tasty.  We love using goat meat, but you can use other types of meat to suit your liking.  In Greece and Turkey, they are either made with beef or lamb, or a combination of the two.  We added scallions and a touch of pepper to our recipe.  We also baked them in the oven, but you can saute them on the stove top in some olive oil.  Serve with potatoes, salad, and pita bread.

2 thick slices of day old bread, crusts removed

1 ½ lbs ground goat meat*

1 clove garlic, minced

½ onion, grated

2 scallions, thinly sliced (up to about 2 inches from the ends)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon dried oregano

Pinch paprika or dried red pepper

2 tablespoons freshly chopped mint

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Soak the bread in a bowl with water or broth for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl with your hands.
Squeeze out the excess water from the bread, crumble, and work into the meat mixture.
Form patties that are about 1 ½ inches in diameter and about 1-inch thick. Bake the patties on a baking tray brushed with olive oil at 375° F for 40 minutes, flipping over halfway through.
Serve with pita bread and salad.

Makes about 8-10 patties.

*We love local goat meat, but you can also use lamb or beef, or any combination of the three.  Everyone has their own recipe for these, so add your own touch to the recipe.

This is a spin on the classic Napoleon; ours is “In Love”. The “Love” comes from the pistachio, mastic (Mastiha), and rose flavors, which are some of our favorite Love ingredients. This recipe may seem advanced, but even the novice cook will be able to take it on. You can make some of the recipe ahead of time, so as to distribute the workload in preparation of the big day. However, although there are 3 parts to its preparation, it does not take an excessive amount of time. Read through the recipe ahead of time so as to plan your cooking strategy.

For the Mastiha Pastry Cream:

2 cups half and half

½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon flour

1 teaspoon Mastiha, ground with a pinch of sugar

1 teaspoon rose water (optional)

For the Pistachio Praline:

1 cup raw shelled pistachios

½ cup sugar + 2 tablespoons water

To Assemble:

1 package store-bought puff pastry

Flour for dusting

¼ cup rose petal jam

1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk, whisked together

A pastry brush

Make the Mastiha pastry cream by heating up the half and half in a small saucepan along with one of the tablespoons of sugar. Just heat until steam rises from the top. Meanwhile, beat the yolks with the sugar until the yolks turn a pale yellow and the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the cornstarch and flour. Slowly pour a few spoonfuls of the milk over the yolk/sugar mixture and whisk to temper. Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan with milk, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and get it all out. Bring the liquid to a simmer and whisk constantly, so that the mixture doesn’t form clumps, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the powdered Mastiha and rose water.  Strain the pastry cream into a bowl set over an ice bath and stir to cool. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and store in the fridge until cold and set. The pastry cream will thicken slightly once it is cold, so keep that in mind when you are cooking it down.

While the pastry cream is cooling, make the Pistachio Praline. Lightly toast the pistachios and allow to cool. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Keep the pistachios close together and evenly distributed, as you will pour caramel over them. Place the sugar in a small saucepan with the 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a simmer and allow the sugar to caramelize. Lightly brush down any sugar that gets stuck on the sides of the pot with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallization. Once the sugar is a deep, rich brown (you can test this by spooning a small amount on a white plate) pour over the toasted pistachios. It might seem like it takes a long time for the sugar to caramelize, but once it gets dark, it changes very quickly, so you must pay close attention. Once the pistachio/caramel becomes hard, you can either chop it with a sharp knife or grind in a food processor until it is a coarse crumble.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Roll out the store bought pastry dough according to the instructions on the package. You will want it to be about ¼” thick when you bake it.
Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out 8 heart shaped pieces of dough. Set on a slightly greased baking sheet and lightly brush with the egg wash (1 whole egg beat with 1 tablespoon of milk). This is not necessary, but it makes the final result much more attractive. Cover the hearts with a piece of parchment or wax paper and set a baking rack or cooling rack with a ledge over the tray, so that the pastry will only rise to a certain height.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the rack and top layer of paper and return to the oven at 350°F for an additional 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the pastries, because everyone’s oven is different.

Heat the rose petal jam slightly with a tablespoon of water, and strain to remove the petals. Now you have your rose petal glaze. While the glaze is still warm, brush the top of each puff heart with it and sprinkle the pistachio praline over top. Dollop a spoonful or so of mastic pastry cream in the center of four of the hearts, and top with the remaining 4 puff hearts. Lightly press down to distribute the pastry cream, but do not break your hearts (pun intended!). Keep cool until ready to serve.

Makes 4 Napoleons “In Love”.

Note: You can make the mastic pastry cream 1 day ahead and the pistachio praline up to 2 days ahead. Bake the puff pastry the day of, so as to keep it as fresh as possible.
Assemble and serve the day of.

This is a very healthy vegetarian dish full of Mediterranean flavor. Freekeh is wheat that has been harvested while still very young, and thus is very high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. It has a slightly smoky flavor due to the way the wheat is processed after harvest, so it pairs well with mellow flavors, such as beans and chicken. This recipe calls for cooking the beans from scratch, but you can also use canned garbanzos for a faster version.

For the Garbanzos:

½ cup dried garbanzo beans, soaked at least 4 hours

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic

1 sprig thyme

a few black peppercorns

For the Pilaf:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup yellow onion, small dice

¼ cup carrot, peeled, small dice

¼ cup fennel, small dice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

pinch of cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup freekeh, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes

2 cups vegetable broth

Short Sauce:

1 ½ cups fresh cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 cup parsley, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 sprig mint, leaves roughly chopped

½ cup pinenuts, lightly toasted

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste (about ¼ teaspoon)

For the Garbanzos:

Drain the garbanzos of their soaking liquid.
Place in a medium sized pot and cover with about 3 cups fresh water. Add the rest of the ingredients (you can place them in a bouquet garni bag if you want) and bring the water up to a boil. Simmer until the garbanzos are cooked through. Drain, remove the aromatics, and set aside.

To Prepare the Pilaf:
Heat up the olive oil in a medium sized pot. Sweat the onion, carrot, fennel, and garlic until the onion and fennel appear translucent. Add the spices and a pinch of salt, and stir for another minute or two. Drain the freekeh of its soaking liquid and add it to the pot. Stir everything together so that the freekeh is well integrated, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring gently. Pour over the broth and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and let cook for 30 minutes. Add the garbanzos and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the wheat is cooked through. Keep in mind that these are wheat berries, so they will have a slightly chewy texture and will not be completely soft.

Make the short sauce by blending all of the ingredients together until coarsely chopped, you do not want a smooth puree. Spoon a bit of the sauce into the pot and stir to combine. Serve while warm.

Serves 4.