Some bold and tasty flavours in this dish by Noor Murad — lamb koftas baked with sweet peppers, salty feta, and oregano. This is minimal fuss for maximum payoff. Another standout from Noor’s beautiful new book, Lugma, a collection we’re really enjoying cooking from.
Wine Suggestion: Grenache all the way with this one. Tonight, we opened a rare treat, the Edetaria La Personal made from old-vine Garnacha Peluda. You won’t find this particular clone outside of Terra Alta, and we think it’s one to watch in a warming climate. The fine hairs on the backs of the vine leaves help trap humidity and conserve moisture, a clever natural adaptabion. It’s also delicious with the lamb and feta.
Lamb koftas with peppers and feta – serves 4
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus a bit extra
- 1½ tsp sweet paprika
- 200g Datterini or cherry tomatoes
- 150g passata
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ tbsp maple syrup
- 150g feta, broken into large chunks
FOR THE KOFTAS:
- 500g lamb mince
- 40g panko breadcrumbs
- 20g parsley, leaves and soft stems finely chopped, plus a bit extra to serve
- 10g oregano leaves, finely chopped, plus a bit extra to serve
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ bicarbonate of soda
- 1 onion, halved
- 1 large ripe plum tomato
Heat the oven to 200C fan.
Make the koftas first by adding the lamb mince, panko, herbs, garlic, spices, bicarbonate of soda, 1 tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper to a large bowl. Grate the onion halves on the coarse side of a grater and squeeze out the excess liquid with your hands (it’s easiest in a clean teatowel). Add this to the bowl, then grate the tomato in the same way, straning off the juice through a sieve. Add this to the bowl too.
Grease your hands with a little olive oil and knead the meat mixture for about 4 minutes, then set aside to rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the sliced onion, peppers, thyme, 2 tbsp of the oil and ½ tsp salt to a large cast-iron frying pan and mix to combine. Bake for 15 minutes or until starting to brown, then remove from the oven and turn the temperature up to 220C fan.
Divide the meat mixture into 12 pieces, about 55-60g each, and form into torpedo-shaped koftas with oiled hands.
Stir the paprika and the tomatoes into the frying pan.
Whisk the passata, vinegar, maple syrup and ¼ tsp of salt together in a jug, then pour this into the pan.
Add the koftas, then drizzle over the final tbsp of oil.
Return to the oven for 8 minutes, then turn each kofta over. Dot with the feta and bake for 12 minutes or until the feta is nicely browned and the dish is bubbling.
Sprinkle over the extra herbs to finish.
(Original recipe from Lugma by Noor Murad, Quadrille, 2025.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 