This is an old school Tobi family classic, thanks to my mum's lovely friend Sue whose talents know no ends (she can cook, she can yoga, she's a trained acupuncturist. The list goes on!). While these are obviously not koftas in the original Levantine way - where they're all about the meat - these veggie alternatives are nice and filling and a great way of using up any bread that's seen better days.
I would strongly urge you to serve this dish with some hummus and tomato relish which brings everything together, although the mango chilli salsa would also go rather well here.
What's the A to V?
Red kidney beans pack a pretty powerful micronutrient punch. High in iron and magnesium, they're also a great source of molybdenum, chromium and sulphur. The nuts and wholegrain bread in this recipe add a further dose of magnesium plus vitamin E, and several of the B vitamins, while the tomatoes are of course high in vitamin C.
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 red onion, chopped into crescent moons
2 cloves of garlic, chopped into rounds
400g of red kidney beans (1 tin, drained)
100g of nuts (I usually use a mix depending on what's in the cupboard, but the best batch of these I've made used 30g of pine nuts, so aim for pine nuts to have a majority share if possible).
2 small slices of rye or wholemeal bread
1 aubergine (courgette will work too), chopped into 1 cm cubes
1 red pepper, chopped into strips
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tbsp of zhoug (optional)
2 tbsp of olive or garlic oil
2 sprigs of parsley, chopped
To make the tomato relish
400g of beef or other large tomatoes, chopped into quarters
200g of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 green or red chilli pepper, very finely sliced
1/4 red onion, very finely chopped
1 tbsp of chilli oil
1 tbsp of apple cider or white wine vinegar
A generous handful of mint and coriander, again chopped very finely
Squeeze of lime
Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
To make the koftas, start by frying your red onion, garlic, aubergine and red pepper together with 1 tbsp of oil for 10 minutes. Season, and add in your dry spices and zhoug. Cook for another 10 minutes until everything is soft and browned.
Meanwhile, in a blender mix together your drained kidney beans, bread, and nuts until it's the consistency of a smooth-ish paste. Season with the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil, a generous pinch of salt, and add in your parsley before giving everything a final pulse of the blender.
In a large bowl, mix together your sauteed veg and blender mix thoroughly. Using your hands or an ice-cream scoop shape the mix into balls, and place on a baking tray. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes, until the exterior of the koftas has browned.
For the tomato relish, first dress your beef tomatoes with the chilli oil and a pinch of salt (or garlic salt) and cook in the oven at 180 degrees for 20-30 minutes. While these are cooking, place your finely chopped onion, chilli pepper, and herbs in a small bowl along with the cherry tomatoes. When your large tomatoes are done, add them to the bowl and mix everything together well. Add the vinegar, a squeeze of lime, and perhaps another drizzle of oil.
Serve with hummus or chutney.