The Perfect Meatballs (Keftedes)

Share on FacebookPin on PinterestTweet about this on TwitterShare on YummlyShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on StumbleUpon

The Perfect Meatballs (Keftedes)

This is a recipe for soft, juicy and aromatic meatballs (Keftedes). Serve them with homemade fries and it will be one of the best meals in your life. Guaranteed!

The Perfect Meatballs (Greek Keftedes)

Meatballs is a classic in many cuisines. From “Swedish meatballs” to Turkish Kofte and the British spaghetti Bolognese (yes, they make it with meatballs). The concept is simple: fried ground meat. But the taste and sensations vary.

The kind of meat you are using is important. The Turks and people from the Middle East tend to use lamb, which I find overwhelming. I love lamb but…fried ground lamb is too much for me.

The Perfect Meatballs (Greek Keftedes)

Swedish meatballs are mostly based on pork and I find they lack a bit of a kick. They are a bit…boring. However, the sauce they are served with is usually interesting.

The Perfect Meatballs (Greek Keftedes)

Many of us, in the western parts of the world, tend to use ground beef when making meatballs. I have tried many times with beef but I find the meatballs very…meaty! Beef dominates everything else and that’s not good. There should be a balance. I find it hard to make them soft so they melt in your mouth.

The Perfect Meatballs (Greek Keftedes)

The search for the best meatballs bring me again back to my roots, when my mother used to make “keftedes”. When she was frying them, the whole neighbourhood was filled with the lovely aroma, making the people excited. “Keftedes” were soft, tasty and full of flavours.

The Perfect Meatballs (Greek Keftedes)

The secret? First, she used (and still uses) ground veal, which is tasty but not as “meaty” as beef. Second, the herbs. Fresh spearmint and parsley. Spearmint is slightly different from mint and is abundant in Greece. If you cannot find it, fresh mint will do just fine.

The Perfect Meatballs (Greek Keftedes)

As a personal touch, I added one (maybe two) shots of Ouzo. The anise give an extra kick to the “keftedes”. You may use any similar spirit, like the Turkish Raki or French Pastis.

The Perfect Meatballs (Greek Keftedes)

4.0 from 1 reviews
The Perfect Meatballs (Keftedes)
This is a recipe for soft, juicy and aromatic meatballs (Keftedes). Serve them with homemade fries and it will be one of the best meals in your life. Guaranteed!
Author:
Cuisine: Greek
Recipe type: Main
Serves: 6
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 500 gr (18 oz) ground veal.
  • 1 onion.
  • A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley.
  • 20-30 leafs of fresh spearmint.
  • 1 egg.
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 3-4 pieces of fresh bread for toast, shredded into small pieces.
  • 1 shot of Ouzo or any other anise seed-based spirit.
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano.
  • 1 tablespoon salt.
  • ½ tablespoon ground pepper.
  • ½ cup of all-purpose flour.
  • 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
Instructions
  1. Add the onion (cut in large pieces), parsley, spearmint and garlic in a blender and create a coarse mixture.
  2. In a large bowl, add the veal, mixture from the blender, bread, egg, Ouzo and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and knead the mix well. Cover with cling film and leave in in the fridge for an hour at least.
  3. Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat.
  4. Use the mixture and make the meatballs. They should be a bit smaller than a golf ball. Cover them slightly with flour and start frying them when the oil is hot. Keep frying until they get golden brown on both sides.
  5. Enjoy the meatballs with fresh salad and homemade fries.
  6. Bon appetit!

(Visited 3,820 times, 1 visits today)
Share on FacebookPin on PinterestTweet about this on TwitterShare on YummlyShare on Google+Share on LinkedInShare on StumbleUpon

One thought on “The Perfect Meatballs (Keftedes)

  1. john k.

    i keep looking at your (greek) recipes from time to time. great stuff. //john

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes:

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong> 

Rate this recipe: