Red Lentil Kofte / The Last Dinner in NYC

I promised a NYC recap but that would be pretty much impossible in one post. So, over the next week, month, year, or so, I’ll talk about it.

My last dinner was at Mundo, in Astoria, with Kaye and Justin. Owned by an Argentine man and his Turkish wife, Mundo’s menu is influenced by both South American and  Mediterranean cuisine.

After much recommendation by the owner and many reviews we read on Urbanspoon, we decided to order the Red Sonja appetizer: red lentil patties with bulgur, scallion, parsley, and spices served with lettuce and lemon slices. We all really liked these a lot and the lemon juice really intensifies the herbs – you must squeeze some on! We ended up ordering a bunch of small plates to share instead of individual entrees as there were so many things we wanted to try. Next up were falafel. BEST falafel of my life. They were so incredibly soft and moist. The ones I’ve had at home are too dry. Excuse the quality in the next three photos – totally bedroom lighting in this restaurant. We also order two empanadas: one beef and one cheese & feta. The beef grossed me out but the spinach & feta was awesome. The last dish we had was octopus carpaccio with baby arugula, Peruvian black olive sauce, red caviar, and warm pita triangles. Kaye insisted on this. I was completely disturbed by it and threw it on Justin’s plate. I did, however, swipe about 10 pita triangles in through the black olive sauce.

This place was really good and they pride themselves on having a very diverse healthy menu. The Red Sonja was my favorite part, so as soon as I got home, my mission was to remake them. After some research, I discovered the Red Sonja is actually the Turkish recipe for Red Lentil Kofte, or Mercimek Köftesi. I found this recipe on a Turkish woman’s blog and made it last night. Great news for my roomie, Lucy – this recipe is Vegan!

My kofte weren’t as red as Mundo’s (less tomato paste?), but they were just as delicious. Use the lettuce as wraps and again, make sure you squeeze lemon juice on them. The recipe makes 6 x what you see above, so either cut it in half or have a Turkish party. Why not?