Just Add Yoghurt

The kofta is part of the meatball family and a common dish served in  South Asian ,  Middle Eastern ,  Balkan , and  Central Asian  cuisine. Whether served in curry over rice in India or in flat bread in the middle East, I love the aromatic spices and moist texture of the kofta.  My secret to keeping it moist is milk-soaked bread. A little Greek secret. Koftas served with a yoghurt and basil sauce is a great combination, breaking through the meat's richness. A great quick weeknight dish.  Ingredients Kofta: 1kg beef mince 1 tablespoon mint 1 tablespoon parsley 1 tablespoon salt (flat not heaped) ½ teaspoon pepper 3 garlic cloves 1 ½ tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon cumin Juice of ½ lemon 1 slice bread dash milk 1 tablespoon spring onion Salad: 1 cup couscous 2 tomatoes 10 olives, pitted and quartered  100g feta 1 cup lettuce leaves 1 cup hot vegetable stock Dressing: ¼ cup yoghurt ½ cup basil ¼

It's Valentines Day so it is only fitting that I share a recipe with one of the most iconic Valentines day gifts - chocolate. My husband is my Valentine and I have to say the way to his heart was through his stomach. He always looks at me with that twinkle in his eye when I bake a chocolate cake and give him the bowl to 'clean'. This moist chocolate cake is the perfect Valentines Day cake and if paired with a glass of red wine, will be a perfect end to a romantic day.  Ingredients: Cake: 200g butter, room temperature 2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla essence ¼ cup yoghurt 1 ½ cups self raising flour ¼ cup cocoa powder 1 ½ cups hot water Icing: 1 cup icing sugar 1 ½ tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon cocoa 10g butter Method: Preheat oven to 175 degrees Cream butter and sugar Add vanilla essence and eggs and mix until well combined Mix in yoghurt Sift in self raising flour and cocoa powder and mix until just combine