Lamb Kofte, Pitta & Greek Salad

As the sequel to the lamb chop recipe, I prepared the Lamb Kofte, Pitta and Greek Salad at pg.108 of the "Lamb" section!

I can, without another meal in my mind say this is my favorite Jamie Oliver recipe ever, and one of the best foods I had the pleasure to eat in my life. Read below why!

I copied his meal accordingly:

I had some leftover lamb mince from a previous lamb mince recipe (see below) so I treated that with salt, pepper and garam masala and set aside for the flavors to soak in. 
I took to my couscous, for which I whizzed the leafy part of the mint and a chili, along with some salt and pepper, stirred in the couscous and boiling water and left to sit throughout the rest of the cooking process. 
I then cut up all the salad ingredients, including the lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomatoes and olives, with the exception of dividing the cucumber and seasoning with salt for the liquid to drain out and not drench my finished salad. 
I also prepared my feta by cutting it up, and mixing the yoghurt with lemon juice and salt and pepper. 
This is when I crushed the pistachios which I de-shelled the night before, and guiltily ate half, as I don't own a pestle and mortar. 

Around this time I went to make my pitta breads. As I have never in my life seen pitta bread anywhere in Croatia, but of course ate it abroad, I decided this recipe really called for it and by God would I do it. So I simply googled and chose a site that seemed most authentic. I prepared it according to http://mideastfood.about.com/od/breadsrice/r/pitabreadrecipe.htm 
and I was pretty happy! Not that it came close to any authentic pitta recipe, but good enough for this meal!

*excuse the bit of couscous on the very right pitta*

I turned to my final step, preparing the meat. 
I was very excited about this because most of all I love minced meat, and the combination of honey which Jamie included in previous recipes was divine. More so, pistachios have become my favorite salty nut, and I mourn their Croatian price daily. So the thought of the bashed pistachios stuck onto honey coated lamb balls, I didn't even want to start the fantasies.
I divided the mince into way more than 8 balls, I took a teaspoon and made many like that, but shaping them more like little fingers than little balls. I put those to fry on one tablespoon of oil and finished off my couscous, which I served in a little bowl (you will have more than in the picture). 
I also mixed the salad with the cucumber and feta on a dish, and cut open the hot pitta breads. 
My meat was just about done, so I drained the fat that came out during cooking, leaving the heat on low, I drizzled honey over and immediately followed up with a crazy amount of pistachios. 

I did have some extra crushed pistachio though, which I sprinkled over the salad. 

The small bits of honey coated pistachio that stayed in the pan were engulfed by me in a frenzy.
And voila, this was it!

Mine and Jamie's mutual serving suggestion, with some couscous below the meat stuck by the lemon yoghurt:

The meal was just a dream. I am usually very interested in Middle Eastern cuisine, and I usually always tend to go for it, try anything new from it, etc. So I knew this recipe would be good, but I could never imagine it would be this good. 
The meat primarily was out of this world. I have never tasted such an amazing combination of salty and sweet like in Middle Eastern recipes. The pistachios just adapt to the honey's texture and taste and just give this powerful overtone of the strong meat. 
Secondly, the couscous is so fluffy and spicy, though I do wish I could have felt the mint more, but I guess that depends from bunch to bunch. At first I though the couscous could be more flavorful, more spices used on it, but then I realized that was the neutral component to such a strong meat and salad dish. 
Next, the salad was so fresh yet so rich, especially because of the feta and tiny bits of pistachio I sprinkled over. Alongside pastry-like things such as the couscous and pitta, the salad allowed ingredients to flow down smoothly. 
And lastly, the pitta breads which looked nothing inside like Jamie's, but nevertheless contributed with such an authentic feel and a great holder for all the ingredients, too! 

For an amazing mix of sweet and salty in the most oriental way possible, to achieve this recipe you will need:

*Ingredients out* Kettle boiled* Large frying pan, high heat* Food processor (bowl blade)*

Serves 4, 587 calories 

Ingredients

Kofte 

400g lean lamb mince

1 tsp garam masala

olive oil

25g shelled pistachios

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1 tbsp runny honey

Couscous

1/2 bunch of fresh mint 

1 fresh red chili

1/2 mug (150g) of couscous

Salad

1/2 an iceberg lettuce

1/2 a red onion

1/2 a cucumber

5 ripe cherry tomatoes

4 black olives (stone in)

4 heaped tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt

2 lemons

40g feta cheese

To serve

4 pitta breads 

Start cooking

In a large bowl, mix the mince with salt, pepper and garam masala. Divide into 8, then with wet hands shape into little fat fingers. Put into the frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, turning until dark golden all over. Tear off most of the top leafy half of the mint and blitz in the processor with a pinch of salt and pepper and chili until fine. Remove the blade, stir in 1/2 a mug of couscous and 1 mug of boiling water, put the lid on and leave to sit in the processor. 

Cut the lettuce into wedges and arrange on a nice board or platter. Peel and coarsely grate the onion and cucumber into a bowl, season well with salt, then squeeze out any excess salty liquid and sprinkle over the lettuce. Chop and add the tomatoes, then squash, destone and dot over the olives. Mix the yoghurt in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon, season to taste, then drizzle it over the lettuce and crumble over the feta. 

Bash the pistachios in a pestel and mortar. Drain away the fat from the lamb, then toss with the bashed nuts, thyme leaves and honey, and turn the heat off. Pop the pittas in the microwave (800W) for 45 seconds to warm through, then cur in half and add to the board with the kofte. Fluff up the couscous, scatter the remaining mint leaves over everything and serve with lemon wedges. 

Note: This recipe was taken straight out of the cookbook, my version is written above. 

Bon Appétit!