Greek meatballs or keftedes are one of my favorite foods. I can have them as a quick snack, as a delicious appetizer or as a main dish. It all depends on the side dishes. Usually 4 or 5 keftedes, with homemade french fries and some steamed greens is a staple in most households in Greece. Add some feta cheese and a couple of pieces of bread and you have a great meal. Alternatively keftedes can be served as an appetizer on a platter with some homemade pitas, tomato and feta salad and some tzatziki.
Keftedes are often called the Greek National food and are relatively easy to make. Most traditional Greek cooks have their own secrets to achieve a nice crust and a tender, juicy meatball.
Bellow is my version of the perfect Greek keftedes.
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Delicious Greek meatballs with lots of herbs and olive oil.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 onions finely copped
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- 4–5 slices of bread without the crust
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup fresh mint finely chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp dry oregano
- 1 egg
- 1 shot ouzo (Optional)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- sea salt
- fresh ground pepper
Frying and serving
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- olive oil (you can use canola or corn oil if you prefer, I personally love the flavor the olive oil gives to the meatballs.)
- fresh mint for serving
Instructions
- Soak the bread in the milk. Carefully squish the bread so all the milk is out. I usually press it on a stainer to get as much milk out as possible.
- In a large bowl, add the bread and all the other ingredients. Mix everything together and knead very well until the mixture is moist and fluffy. The more you knead the fluffier your meatballs will be.
- Cover with a towel and leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to incorporate together well.
- Spread some flour on a plate. Mix the mixture in round meatballs. I like to use a small ice-cream scoop, about two tbsp size. Run them in the flour, shake of the excess and place them on a clean surface until all your meatballs are ready for frying.
- Using a deep frying pan add enough oil to cover 2/3 of the pan. Turn the heat on to medium-high. Fry the meatballs (in small doses), about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove from heat and arrange them on absorbent paper to drain the excess oil.
- Serve meatballs with homemade fries and a green salad.
I love to eat keftedes the next day. I don’t mind them cold at all, I usually grab one (or two) with some crackers as a snack.
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