The sister of a friend of mine came up with this idea. Maggie didn't have a recipe as such but she told me roughly what she did and I took the time to develop a recipe. I far prefer making it with lamb instead of beef - I think the supporting flavors work better with lamb, but either meat works. If you want to kick it up a notch, serve it topped with.tzatziki sauce. (Larger image.) Serves 2 with some leftovers.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground lamb or beef
- 1 lg. slice bread; crust removed
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 sm. onion; chopped
- 2 garlic cloves; finely chopped
- 3 oz. feta; crumbled
- 1/4 cup pignoli; toasted
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Pepper to taste (the feta provides salt)
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. Soak bread in milk until most of the milk is absorbed, then mash into paste.
3. Sautee onion on oil over medium heat until fragrant and translucent - about 3 minutes.
4. Add garlic to onion and cook one minute longer.
5. Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
6. Shape into a free-form loaf and position on an oiled broiler pan.
7. Bake until internal temperature is 155 degrees - about 40 minutes. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
