I was recently approached by Edgell to be their guest Blogger for the month of December as part of a new campaign to encourage people to add one more vegetable to their meal each day.  I was really excited when they asked me to be a part of this great campaign so pulled out some of my favourite pantry staples like chickpeas, kidney beans, beetroot & corn and got to thinking about what I could create. The theme for the month of December was ‘Sizzle Season’ and I relished the challenge to come up with some great barbecue recipes for the Edgell +1 website. This was my first recipe and I was really happy with the result. A Greek inspired lamb kofta, barbecued to perfection with a sensational Em’s Food topper of beetroot tzatziki. If you love the recipe on my site, pop over to the Edgell + 1 site at http://edgellplusone.com.au and check it and loads of other great recipes out.

Prep time:                                 Cooking time:                             $$  Medium Budget

Serves 4

500gm of lamb mince

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 tsp of dried oregano

4 sprigs of fresh oregano. leaves removed and finely chopped, stalks discarded

Grated rind of 1 lemon

1 tbs of tomato paste

A pinch of ground cinnamon

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

2 cups of baby rocket leaves

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 small eggplant, sliced into 1cm slices

2 ripe tomatoes, sliced

1/2 a red onion, finely sliced

4 Greek pide wraps

Dill sprigs for garnish

For the Tzatziki:

1 x tin of Edgell whole baby beets

1 cup of greek yoghurt

2 tbs of finely chopped dill

1 small garlic clove, finely minced

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

To make the Lamb kofta place the lamb mince, garlic, dried oregano, fresh oregano, lemon rind, tomato paste and cinnamon in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well (I prefer to use hands) to combine. Dampen your hands with a little water and roll the lamb into balls approximately the size of a golf ball. Place on a lined tray and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

To make the Tzatziki, drain the whole baby beets and pat them dry with a piece of paper towel.
Place them in a medium sized bowl and use a potato masher to mash them to a paste like consistency. Add the yoghurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice and season with a little salt and pepper. Use a spoon to combine.

Heat a BBQ grill to nice and hot. Brush each side of the eggplant slices with a little oil, season with salt and pepper and place them on the grill for 3-4 minutes each side or until tender and slightly charred. Remove from the BBQ and set aside.

Place the kofta on the BBQ grill and lightly flatten with a spatula. Cook the kofta for 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove and set aside to rest.

Place the Pide breads on the grill and cook for a minute on each side.

To assemble the pide, scatter a small handful of rocket leaves along the centre of the wrap. Top with grilled eggplant slices, tomato, red onion and the lamb kofta. Dollop the Tzatziki along the kofta and top with a smattering of dill sprigs. Roll the pide up and serve.