Izgara köfte

Method

1. Grate the onion on the fine side of a box grater into a bowl, then squeeze the pulp hard in your fist (or in a clean cloth) and pour away the juice. This is the key step: wet onion makes köfte soft, and they fall apart on the grill. Finely grate the garlic.

   Add in this stepOnion ½Garlic clove 1

2. Put the ground beef, squeezed onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, cumin, pul biber, black pepper and salt in a large bowl. Knead firmly with one hand for 4 min, squeezing the mixture through your fingers, until it turns sticky and holds together in one smooth mass.

   Add in this stepGround beef, about 20% fat (or half beef, half lamb) 300 gDry breadcrumbs (or stale bread, finely crumbled) 20 gFlat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 2 tbspGround cumin ½ tspPul biber (Turkish red pepper flakes) ½ tspBlack pepper 2 pinchSalt ½ tsp

3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 min; chilled meat is firmer and easier to shape. Meanwhile make the onion salad: halve the red onion and slice it as thinly as you can, rub the slices with the sumac for a minute so they soften, then mix in the roughly chopped parsley.

   Add in this stepRed onion ½Sumac 1 tspFlat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (for the salad) 2 tbsp

4. Wet your hands with cold water so the meat doesn't stick and divide the mixture into 6 equal pieces (about 50 g each). Roll each into a ball, then press it into an oval patty about 8 cm long and 1.5 cm thick.

5. Heat a 26 cm grill pan or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes until very hot, then brush it with the oil. Lay in the köfte 2 cm apart (in two batches if they don't all fit) and cook for 8 min in total, about 4 minutes per side, without moving them until they release easily with a crust. They are done when the centre is no longer pink and the juices run clear (71 °C inside if you have a thermometer).

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbsp

   medium-high heat

6. Move the köfte to a plate and keep them warm. In the same pan over medium-high heat, cook the halved tomatoes cut side down and the whole green chilies for 4 min, turning the chilies, until blistered and soft.

   Add in this stepTomato 1Long green chili (sivri biber) or another mild green pepper 2

   medium-high heat

7. Warm the bread briefly in the pan. Serve the köfte hot with the bread, sumac onion salad, grilled chilies and tomatoes.

   Add in this stepTurkish flatbread (pide) or pita 2