Foodie Friday: Lean Turkey Koftas

Lean Turkey Koftas with Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad

Serves 4

You will need:

500g lean turkey breast mince

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

grated zest of 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

sea salt

black pepper

Quinoa and pomegranate salad

200g quinoa

30g walnuts, toasted

seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

100g baby plum tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

juice of 1/2 lemon

extra virgin olive oil, to dress

1 Soak the skewers in cold water for about 10 minutes so they don’t burn too much.

2 Put the turkey mince in a bowl and add the garlic, cumin, lemon zest and parsley. Mix well, then season with salt and pepper. Shape some of the mixture around each skewer in a rough, slightly flattened oval shape. You should have about 12. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes

3 Cook the quinoa in a pan of salted boiling water for 10–12 minutes, or according to the packet instructions. The husks come away easily when the grains are done. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for a couple of minutes, tossing them regularly and watching that they don’t burn. To remove the jewel-like seeds from the pomegranate, cut the pomegranate in half around its middle. Place it in a large bowl of water and separate out the seeds. That way you don’t get pomegranate juice all over your clothes! Add the pomegranate seeds to the quinoa with the rest of the ingredients, then dress with olive oil and lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

4 Cook the koftas on a preheated griddle pan over a medium heat for 12–14 minutes, then serve with the salad.

Mincespiration! by Dean Edwards is published by Bantam.