Kofta, small ground-meat patties fried or grilled, are a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine. There are as many variations on this basic dish as ways to spell its name in the Roman alphabet. Given the extent of Turkish influence in Albania, I was not surprised to find them here as well. Qofte tė fėrguara seems to be a common dish in Albania, I found several slightly different recipes for it, and the one I made was a combination of them all. All my guests liked them very much, specially dipped in yougurt sauce (this Afghani recipe is actually very common in the Middle East and I'm pretty sure they eat it in Albania as well). I thought they were tasty, though I've liked other versions (such as Armenian and Lebanese ones) better.

I served the qofte with a romaine salad, though more traditionally you would serve it with fried potatoes, rice or pilaf.

---

Marga's Qofte tė fėrguara Recipe

Ingredients

one pound ground lamb or beef

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs

4 tbsp chopped Feta cheese

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/4 cup chopped mint (use less, if dried)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp oregano

salt and pepper

flour

oil

Instructions

Combine all ingredients besides flour and oil. Let stand covered for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. Shape into small cilinders. Dust with flour and fry until done.