Lamb koftas with a feta, mint and chickpea salad & chilli grilled pittas

by Paul Warburton on 20 January 2010  |  0 comments
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Check out this amazing recipe for lamb koftas with a feta, mint and chickpea salad and chilli grilled pittas – for £1.49 per person!

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Lamb koftas with a feta, mint and chickpea salad and chilli grilled pittas (Serves 4)

Now we have some warmer weather we need to cut loose from the stews and spicy pasta dishes and look to something lighter yet still rewarding. I've always been a big fan of Mediterranean cooking - having spent many a night at Greek and Turkish restaurants in Dalston, London where they cook some of the finest grilled meats I've ever eaten.

This is a very simple dish to put together and you can substitute the lamb for beef or chicken if you wish. (I've also written a recipe for Beef koftas as well.)

Ingredients

• 500g of British organic lamb mince (£2.86)
• 1 can of chickpeas (39p)
• 200g of Feta (£1.11)
• 1 lemon (30p)
• 1 large red onion (20p)
• 2 green chillies (30p)
• 25g of fresh mint (61p)
• Pack of 6 white pittas (19p)

The cupboard staples...

Olive oil, salt, black pepper, cumin, dried coriander and 2 cloves of garlic (and 4 large metal skewers)

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at ASDA, where it came to £5.96 - that's £1.49 per head!

Instructions

• Let's make the koftas first - place the lamb in a large bowl along with 2 tsps of cumin, 2 tsps of dried coriander, 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic and a generous seasoning. Mix together well and then shape on to the metal skewers (wooden skewers, soaked first, are also good) - the best way to shape on is to create a ball first, slide on to the skewer and then shape down. Once the koftas are made, place in the fridge for at least 40 minutes to firm up a little.
• Whilst the koftas are in the fridge we can make the salad. Grab a large bowl and add the chick peas, finely chopped mint, finely chopped red onion and cubes of feta. Mix together gently and then add some seasoning, the juice of one lemon and around 3 tablespoons of olive oil. This salad will keep fine until the koftas are ready. In fact, the flavours will develop nicely.
• To make the chilli pittas - finely chop the green chillies (leave those seeds in!) and sprinkle over the pittas with a twist of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. These can go under the grill for 4 minutes to brown up whilst the koftas are cooking.
• The koftas! These are best cooked on a griddle pan (if you don't have a griddle pan 5 minutes on each side under a medium grill will work fine). Get those windows open as you need to get the griddle pan smoking hot! When smoking hot rub a little olive oil over the koftas so they don't stick (no oil in the pan) and griddle on each side for 4 minutes - once cooked set to one side for 2 minutes to let the meat relax.
• Serve with the salad and pittas - happy eating!

A bit about the Frugal Recipes chef, Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.

During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.

Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Friday for free!

What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes

"We enjoyed this recipe very much: easy to make and even easier to eat!" varneyrob

"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy

"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley

"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass

"Another delicious offering from Paul. Thank you - keep 'em coming!" Palefire

Please add your own comments using the comments box below!

If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other Frugal Recipes: Massaman curry | Roasted pheasant | Portobello mushroom, port and stilton wellington | Smoked mackerel pate on crostini and red onion confit |Rolled breast of lamb with garlic mash and Savoy cabbage | Lemon & rosemary chicken thighs |  Thai Pollock curry with egg noodles | Chunky pea and ham soup| Spaghetti alla carbonara | Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt |  Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne |  Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot | Beef & thyme (Lacashire) hotpot

Remember, if you're registered on lovemoney.com, you can follow this blog and find new posts as soon as they are published, via your personal homepage. Never miss a frugal recipe again - register now.