Lamb Kofta with JANIROC Koroneiki

Kofta is one of those recipes that doesn't allow for reinvention. Ground meat, spices, direct heat. It's cooked practically the same way from Greece to the Middle East, and each household adjusts the spice blend to their taste. The room for improvement isn't in the technique; it's in the fat that binds the mixture and the oil with which the dish is finished.

Here we use JANIROC Koroneiki. Koroneiki is a variety of Greek origin that we cultivate on 30 hectares in L'Albagés, Lleida, on dry, calcareous soils where it grows with very low water consumption, around 1,000 liters per olive tree per year. Its fruit is small and pointed, weighing about 0.8 grams. We harvest it in the first days of October, while still green.

This early harvest explains the important figure in this recipe: over 450 mg/kg of polyphenols, the highest value in the JANIROC collection. It's a finishing oil, and that's how we use it here: raw, at the end, when the kofta is already off the grill.

The organoleptic profile is what rounds out the dish. Intense green fruitiness, aromas of olive leaf and artichoke, medium intensity pungency and bitterness with a sweet note that maintains balance. Compared to cumin, cilantro, and lamb fat, a mild oil would get lost. This one is noticeable, and its bitterness cleanses the palate between bites.

Difficulty: Beginner · Total time: 30 min · Servings: 4

Tools: grill or griddle, large bowl, grater, and skewers (optional).

Ingredients

• 500 g ground lamb
• 1 small grated onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 15 g fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 45 ml JANIROC Koroneiki Organic: 30 ml to bind the mixture and 15 ml raw for serving

Pairing: Clos Pons Alges · Clos Pons Jan Petit.

Preparation

1. Grate the onion and drain it well. Excess water prevents the mixture from binding and causes the koftas to break open on the grill.
2. Mix the ground lamb with the onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper.
3. Add 30 ml of JANIROC Koroneiki and work the mixture with your hands until homogeneous.
4. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Form small ovals or mold the meat around a skewer.
5. Grill over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes.
6. Serve with tahini sauce and warm pita bread. Finish with the remaining 15 ml of JANIROC Koroneiki raw, just before bringing the dish to the table.

That final drizzle is where the oil truly works. When cold, it releases the olive leaf and artichoke aromas that heat diminishes, and it reaches the palate fully.

JANIROC Koroneiki is a single-varietal organic extra virgin olive oil produced by PONS with Koroneiki olives from L'Albagés (Lleida), harvested early and with over 450 mg/kg of polyphenols. It is cold-extracted in our mill, less than 30 minutes from the olive grove, and is especially recommended for raw use. Buy it here.