In Turkish Cuisine, we have more than 100 different varieties of meatball dishes. İzmir Köfte, in English İzmir Meatballs, is one of them and it is very popular among all meatball lovers. You may think that all these meatball dishes are different than each other, but believe me; all meatball varieties in our cuisine taste different than each other by ingredient, and the type of meat used, and İzmir Köfte has no exception.
İzmir Köfte is native to İzmir city of Turkey. İzmir city is one of the most beautiful cities in Turkey and it is known as the Pearl of Aegean among Turks. It is the 3rd biggest city in Turkey with its population and economy. The city has around 600km of coastline, 300 sunny days in a year, fertile lands, and the amazing Aegean Sea that offers every shade of blue. Overall, this city offers everything you can ask for. It is a city where history, culture, modernism, and local cuisine blend each other perfectly.
History
İzmir, historically Smyrna, has more than 3.000 years of history. Throughout history, more than 30 civilizations had been passed by from this magnificent city. From the Hittites to Ancient Greeks, Assyrians to Romans; all have left cultural and historical heritage behind them. If you are an archaeology and history lover, İzmir city and surrounding small towns are the best places for you.
For years, countless research and excavations have been made to enlighten İzmir’s history. Even today, many historians, archaeologists, and researchers from different universities around the globe are still investigating the city’s historical development. Each year, hundreds of tours are coming to Izmir city to see the history in place and to see Ephesus Ancient City. Below you can see the photo of the beautiful Ephesus Ancient City.
When you consider a city that has more than 3.000 years of history, you can easily see the historical reflections on the local dishes. İzmir city has countless famous dishes. İzmir Köfte is only one of them. I usually like to eat İzmir Köfte with Bulgur Pilaf aside. I think they are a good combo. İzmir Köfte look-alike dish called Smyrna Meatballs in Greece. Smyrna Meatballs recipe carries more tomato paste than İzmir Köfte’s recipe in it.
Due to the city’s geo-location, it offers a perfect climate and fertile lands provide a huge advantage to produce various types of fresh vegetables. If you like quality and tasty food, you easily know how much fresh ingredients are important. So, it is not a surprise for me that this delicious dish is native to the Pearl of Aegean.
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İzmir Köfte
Ingredients
- 1 kg ground beef
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 2 patatoes wedge cut
- 1 onion grated
- 1 handful parsley minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Frying
- 6 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Topping
- 6 point green peppers
- 6 tomato slices
Sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups hot water
Instructions
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Pre-heat the oven 180C (360 F).
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In a large bowl, place the ground beef then add the breadcrumbs, grated onion, beaten eggs, salt, cumin, ground black pepper and minced parsley. Combine all very well.
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With wet hands take a piece the size of a large walnut and roll into 2 finger size. Continue untill all meatball mix finish.
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Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and fry the wedge cut potatoes first. After they fried set a side.
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Fry the meatballs and after all fried place them into pyrex glass cooking bowl.
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Place the fried potatoes 1 by 1. (1 meatball and then 1 wedge cut fried patato).
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Place the point green peppers and sliced tomatoes on top of the meatballs and wedge potatoes evenly.
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In a bowl combine all of the sauce ingredients and pour over the meatballs and wedge cut patatoes evenly. And then place the pyrex glass cooking bowl to the oven and cook about 15-20 minutes.
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Serve.
