Keftedes (Meatballs)- Greece


The earliest Greek civilisations thrived nearly 4,000 years ago and they lived in the countries now called Bulgaria and Turkey, and of course Greece. Greece is situated in the heart of Europe, to the right of Italy, the left of Turkey and below Bulgaria. The Greek Isles are a popular tourist attraction.

Greek keftedes (meatballs)
500g ground beef (18 ounces)
200g ground pork (7 ounces)
1 large red onion, grated
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 of a cup chopped fresh parsley
6-7 leaves fresh spearmint (chopped) and a pinch dried (optional)
2 tbsps olive oil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper
oil for frying
flour for dredging (to dip food into flour to help when cooking)

To prepare this traditional Greek meatballs recipe (keftedes), add all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well (for about 5-10 minutes), squeezing with your hands, to allow the flavours to blend. (If the mixture isn’t firm enough, add some more breadcrumbs). Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
Turn the mixture for the keftedes out of the fridge and roll into meatballs the size of a walnut (or bigger if you prefer). Dredge the rolled meatballs lightly in flour making sure to shake off any excess. Fry until nicely browned on all sides.
The traditional way of cooking Greek meatballs (keftedes) is frying them. Fry the keftedes in batches of 10-15 at a time, until nicely browned on all sides.
Instead of frying you can bake / grill the keftedes in the oven. Preheat the oven at 200C, place the keftedes on greased baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning the meatballs upside down midway through cooking time.
Notes: The grilled version is much lighter than the fried so there’s no excuse for not trying it now!
Keftedes (Greek meatballs) are ideally served as an appetizer (meze) with some creamy tzatziki sauce and pita breads or as a main course with some basmati rice and a Greek salad. Enjoy!





Credits to mygreekdish.com


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