Hazel and her husband Neil

This great recipe comes from Hazel McFadden, cookery tutor at The Kitchen in the Castle in Howth. A couple of years ago, Hazel taught me on a month-long professional cookery course, and she is a brilliant teacher - patient, precise, caring and fantastic at cooking.

Hazel and her husband, chef Neil McFadden, are the creative brains behind Christmas Made Easy, a genius enterprise that delivers your Christmas dinner to your door, all ready to go, vegetables chopped, turkey ready, marvellous menu all thought out. I had their menu for two last year, and it was faintworthy. Click here to view their site - it has loads of fantastic Christmas recipes and tips on cooking your Christmas dinner.

Hazel has come up with this recipe, which your kids can help to make as there are plenty of fun little jobs to do. If you’re lucky, they might give you some when they’re ready!

What you need

Makes 24

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 500g lamb mince
• 1 beaten egg
• Handful dried apricots, chopped
• 2 tbsp pistachio nuts, finely chopped
• Freshly ground salt & pepper
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cucumber
• 250g natural yoghurt

Method

Heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the onions until soft, about 5 mins. Add the cayenne, cumin and coriander, and continue to cook for another minute. Place the lamb in a bowl, break up with a fork and tip in the onion and spice mixture, followed by the beaten egg, apricots and pistachios. Season with salt & pepper and mix thoroughly. With wet hands, divide and shape the lamb into 24 short-style sausages. Chill for 10 minutes. Place in an oven dish in a hot oven and roast or 25 minutes until golden and cooked through. For the garlic dip, place the cloves in their skins in an oven dish, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Peel, deseed and grate the cucumber and leave the flesh to drain in a sieve, discarding the juices. Squeeze the garlic pulp into 250g of natural yoghurt, stir in the cucumber and season with salt & pepper. Chill the dip until needed, and serve with the koftas.

Related posts:

1. Rercy’s Lamb Saag with Frozen Spinach
2. Cornucopia Recipe: White Bean and Roast Mediterranean Vegetable Pie with Basil Mash
3. Quick and Easy Moroccan Lamb Stew