Keftedes
Greek meatballs
A wonderful Greek appetizer that is a must on the table. A meze platter is an assortment of small dishes eaten as appetizers or a light meal and is a very traditional style of eating in Greece. The Greek meze platter typically includes Greek meatballs alongside Kalamata olives, feta, dolmades, hummus, tzatziki dip, eggplant dip, grapes, assorted nuts and warmed pita bread. These little balls of heaven are made with a combination of organic beef, pork and veal. They are tender and juicy packed with fresh herbs and aromatic spices. Utterly addicting.
Tips & Tricks:
This Greek meatball recipe is very simple, which means it’s important to get the technique right.
Don’t skip grating the onion: this ensures them to be juicy!
If the meatballs are dry: add a splash of milk to the meatball mixture. The meatball mixture should be moist but hold its shape. This is another trick from my yiayia.
Don’t overmix the meatball ingredients: overmixing results in tougher keftedes.
After mixing all the ingredients: let the mixture sit to allow the flavors to really incorporate and infuse into the meat mixture, make it at least an hour or more ahead of time. Cover it tightly and place in the fridge for up to 4 hours ahead of time.
Wet your hands before shaping the meatballs: This will prevent the meat from sticking as much to your hands.
Make uniform meatballs: use a cookie scoop to form your meatballs so they are all the same size, this way they will cook evenly. It also makes forming the keftedes quick and easy.
Storing: Keep leftover meatballs in the fridge tightly covered or in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated.
Freeze: These meatballs are great for freezing, and then you can pull them out when you need a quick meal. After the meatballs have completely cooled, place them in a freezer safe bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and warm them up.
Ingredients:
500g / 1 lb beef mince (ground beef) (or lamb!)
250g / of pork mince (ground pork),
250g/ of veal mince (ground veal)
1 large red or yellow onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup / 60g panko breadcrumbs(or Italian bread crumbs)
2 eggs
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
6 large fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (this is a must)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp of Spike seasoning
Cooking Instructions:
STEP 1: COMBINE MEATBALL INGREDIENTS
Grate the onion on the large hole of your box grater straight into a large bowl
Add the beef and lamb and mix with your hands just to combine (don’t over-mix).
Add the seasoning to meat mixture, drizzle meat with balsamic vinegar
Add the herbs and spices to the bowl
STEP 2: ROLL MEATBALLS
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Scoop the meat mixture using a 1 ½ tablespoon or a medium scooper you would use for cookie dough to form the meatballs and then roll them in between the palm of your hands to form balls. Place meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until cooked through. The color will be nice and golden brown.
The meatballs will be sitting in some fat after they cook, so remove them from the sheet and clean excess to keep their uniform shape.
