Turkey Kafta Bake with Lemon-Tahini Yogurt

Ingredients

• 900 g raw 93% turkey mince (2 lb)
• 200 g onion, grated and squeezed dry
• 40 g parsley, finely chopped
• 14 g fresh mint, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• ¾ tsp fine salt — it is what binds the meat
• 1½ tsp cinnamon · ¾ tsp nutmeg · ¼ tsp ground cloves (stands in for allspice) · 1½ tsp black pepper
• 600 g zucchini, 1 cm rounds
• 400 g canned tomato, no salt added
• 15 g olive oil (1 tbsp of it warms the spice)
• Sauce: 400 g 0% Greek yogurt · 60 g tahini · 60 ml lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon · 1 small clove garlic, grated
• To finish each bowl: pinch of sumac · 1 tsp pomegranate molasses · pinch of za’atar

Method

1. Oven to 200 °C / 400 °F. Warm 1 tbsp oil in a small pan, add the kafta spices, 30 seconds until fragrant. Let it cool — hot fat will start cooking the meat.
2. Base: toss the zucchini rounds with the remaining oil, a pinch of cinnamon and pepper, and 1 grated clove of garlic. One layer in a 23×33 cm (9×13 in) tray, tomatoes spooned over. Bake 15 min.
3. Kafta: meanwhile grate the onion and squeeze it hard in a towel — wet onion makes the kafta weep. Mix turkey, onion, herbs, garlic, salt and the cooled spiced oil by hand for 1 minute, until it turns tacky and binds.
4. Press the mixture evenly over the hot vegetables, about 2 cm thick. Score into 6 squares.
5. Bake 25–30 min, until the centre reads 74 °C / 165 °F. Rest 10 min.
6. Sauce: whisk yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, zest and garlic. Thin with a spoon of water if stiff.
7. Portion: cut along the scores, one square with its vegetables per container. Sauce in separate pots, ~80 g each — spooned on cold after reheating, never heated. Then sumac, molasses and za’atar. Keeps 4–5 days; freeze the kafta only, never the sauce.