Egg-Free, Bread-Crumb-Free Turkish Meatballs (Köfte)

     Meatballs are meant to have a certain texture: they should hold together, they should be juicy on the inside but not mushy, and they should plump up while cooking. Usually eggs and bread crumbs are added to help meatballs hold together and otherwise give them a good texture; this reworking of a Turkish meatball recipe relies instead on fava beans.* Favas are a vetch, not a true bean. Allergies to beans do not necessarily mean an allergy to favas. My grandson, who used to get sick from the amount of soy lecithin in a chocolate bar or the bit of soybean oil in a handful of candy corn, was unable to eat any kind of peas, lentils or beans. Favas, though, he could gobble with impunity. 

     Getting the texture right helps the meatballs hold in air produced while they're cooking so that they plump up. A surefire way to make sure there is plenty of air plumping up your meatballs, as a Turkish meatball maker pointed out to me, is to include a tiny amount of baking soda in your recipe. Baking soda, of course, needs acid to react with. The recipe I started with contained a bit of yogurt, enough to provide the acid to allow the baking soda to do its job. A bit of lemon juice works just as well. If you would like a spicier meatball, replace some or all of the paprika with cayenne.  To get more of an Italian meatball flavor, replace the cumin and savory with oregano, basil and thyme to taste.

     2 tsp. paprika (See Spices in the Glossary)

     1-1/2 Tb. cumin (See Spices in the Glossary)

     1 Tb. savory (optional)

     1/2 Tb. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     1/2 Tb. black pepper (See Spices in the Glossary)

     1/2 Tb. baking soda

     leaves from 1/2 bunch of parsley (See Produce in the Glossary)
     1 onion, cut into a few pieces
     1/2 cup cooked, precooked dry favas* **

     2 Tb. freshly squeezed lemon juice (See Juice in the Glossary)

     2 Tb. water
     2 Tb. olive oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

     2 lb. lean ground beef 

     

     In a large mixing bowl, stir together the paprika, cumin, savory, salt, black pepper and baking soda. 

     Thoroughly food-process the parsley, onion, fava beans, lemon juice, water, and olive oil with one pound of the hamburger. Scoop this mixture into the large mixing bowl; add the remaining pound of hamburger, and knead until thoroughly mixed. Shape into patties and grill, broil, or fry on medium low heat with a little oil in the skillet.


     *That is, use precooked fava beans, which come dry. Boil them in water until they are thoroughly soft; drain. I recommend cooking a bunch of them at a time, portioning them out and freezing them. Then you don't need to cook favas every time you want meatballs.


    **Note that favas are a vetch rather than a true bean: they are nonallergenic for most people with allergies to soy or other beans, peas, or lentils. A few people have an enzyme deficiency that causes gastrointestinal distress when they eat favas.