Delicious beef kofte skewers with yogurt, cumin and mint dip

 A good kebab is a great thing. It’s almost the ultimate in balanced meals with the meat, salad, vegetables and carbohydrates. It can either soak up a night’s excesses or remind you of long summer lunches in Greece or Turkey, surrounded by the chargrills and their mouthwatering aromas.Cooking over coals or wood gives the meat such tenderness and depth of flavour and certainly appeals to my inner Neanderthal.The best way to cook this, then, is over flames. However, if it’s the height of the English summer and you have to cook inside, grill them on the highest heat possible and that should do.Prep: 25-30 mins (15-20 if using minced meat)Serves: 4Ingredients300g rib-eye steak300g osso bucco1 tsp white peppercorns1tbsp cumin seeds1tbsp coriander seeds1 tsp dried mint½ tsp smoked paprika1 tsp za’atar1 tsp chilli powder1 tbsp puréed garlic1 tbsp puréed ginger½ red onion, finely dicedA handful of breadcrumbs1 eggA squeeze of lemon juiceMethodSlice the meat as finely as you can, or if you haven’t the time, get your butcher to mince it for you. The texture won't be as good, but the end result will still be delicious.Squeeze out the bone marrow from the osso bucco and add with the sliced meat to a large mixing bowl.Toast the peppercorns, cumin and coriander in a dry frying pan until they start to release their aroma, then transfer to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and process to a fine powder.Add the ground spices along with the rest of the ingredients to the meat, season well and mix thoroughly until everything is incorporated without it becoming to slushy.Shape the mixture into sausage shapes around metal skewers and grill on a high heat, turning occasionally, for five to ten minutes, depending on how thick you have made them.Tonight, I’m serving these with a carrot, cumin and dried mint yoghurt and a simple salad.Feel free to add flatbreads, but as I’m currently going low carb in a bid to look 20 again, not for me this time…