Meatballs and kebabs
Pideli köfte is Bursa’s meatball plate: toasted cubes of pita form the base, topped with small, thin grilled meatballs, tomato sauce, and strained yogurt, then finished with hot butter. The pita is browned in butter before it goes on the plate; plain pita soaks up the sauce and turns mushy, while toasted pita holds it without falling apart. The meatballs are kept small and thin so they can be cut with the pita in one bite.
Finely grate the onion, squeeze it in your palm, and discard the juice. Knead the ground beef with the onion, torn bread, salt, and black pepper for 5 minutes. The mixture is ready when it sticks to your hand and holds fingerprints.
Wet your hands and divide the mixture into 24 walnut-sized portions. Roll each one between your palms and flatten it to 1 cm thick; thin meatballs cook through quickly and are easy to eat with the pita in one bite.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the tomato paste for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the grated tomatoes, water, and salt. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon in a thin layer.
Cut the pita into 2 cm cubes. In a large skillet, toss them with 20 g butter over medium heat for 6–7 minutes, until the edges are golden and crisp to the touch.
Heat a grill or cast-iron skillet thoroughly without oil. Arrange the meatballs with space between them and cook each side for 4 minutes. Char the peppers alongside them. Cut one meatball open; no pink should remain, and the center should reach 71°C / 160°F on a thermometer.
Spread the toasted pita cubes on plates and spoon over half the sauce. Add the meatballs and the remaining sauce, with the yogurt on the side. Heat the butter in a small skillet until foaming and just beginning to brown at the edges, then pour it over the meatballs at the table.
Refrigerate the meatball mixture for 30 minutes before shaping. Pour the hot butter over the assembled plate right away; pita left standing will absorb the sauce and turn mushy.
Pideyi tereyağında kızartma adımı tabağın altını kurtarıyor. Sosu bayat pideye doğrudan dökünce lapa oluyor, kızarmış pide sosu emiyor ama dağılmıyor.
Yoğurdu buzdolabından çıkarır çıkarmaz koymayın, ılık olsun. Soğuk yoğurt sıcak sosla birleşince tabak soğuyor ve tereyağı yoğurdun üstünde donuyor. Ben kâseyi ılık suya oturtup on dakika beklettim, o kadarı yetti.
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