Barbecue Beef Kofta with Herby Tzatziki

A great summer dish thanks to the fresh Tzatziki, which originates in the cuisines of Southeast Europe and the Middle East. It is traditionally made of salted yogurt with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometimes with vinegar or lemon juice, and plenty of herbs such as dill, mint, parsley and thyme. This Beef Kofta will delight your family and guests!

• 1 kg Beef Mince
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 large handfuls Parsley, stems removed (about 2 packed cups)
• 1 slice of toast bread, well toasted and soaked in water, then squeezed out water
• Salt & pepper
• 1 ½ tsp Ground allspice
• ½ tsp Cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp ground Sumac
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp paprika

 For Herby Tzatziki with pomegranate:

• 1 large cucumber, grated (2 cups grated)
• 1 ½ cup Greek Yoghurt
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Dill, chopped
• 2 tbsp Mint, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
• Flatbread, hummus & salad greens to serve
• Metal skewers

1. Preheat the barbecue on high.
2.  In a food processor, process the onion, garlic, and parsley. Add the beef, bread and the spices. Process until all is well combined and forms a pasty meat mixture.
3.  Remove the meat mixture from the food processor and place in a large bowl. Take a handful of the meat mixture and mould it on a skewer, making 3 cm thick kebab. Repeat the process until you have run out of meat.
4. Grill the kofta kebabs on the lightly oiled barbecue. Cook on medium-high heat for 4 minutes on one side, turnover and grill for another 3-4 minutes.
5. To make the herby tzatziki: Lightly squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms to remove excess water and place in a large bowl, one handful at a time until all the cucumber is in the bowl. Add the yoghurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and mix through. Let it rest for 5 minutes before stirring in the herbs. Add more lemon juice and salt to taste if necessary. Top with pomegranate seeds.
6.  Serve Beef Kofta with Herby Tzatziki accompanied by flatbread, hummus and salad greens.

Tip.  Leftover tzatziki keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days.