Keftedes: Greek Meatballs photo by Amy Koch
These Greek-style meatballs are a snap to make, delicious, and kid-friendly. The mint, vinegar, and nutmeg make them distinctly Greek, all the while playing nice together with the oregano. Adding them into pita bread with Romaine lettuce and fresh sliced cherry tomatoes with tzatziki (cucumber-yogurt sauce) make a wonderful entree for lunch or dinner.
This recipe was adapted from Cat Cora's but I changed the cooking method and omitted the flour since I wanted to pan fry the meatballs instead of deep fry.
Ingredients
- 3 slices white bread with crust
- 1 cup milk
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 yellow onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 finely chopped tablespoons of fresh oregano
- 3 finely chopped tablespoons of fresh mint
- 2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Pita Bread, white or whole wheat
- Cucumber Yogurt Sauce, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cube sliced bread and place in food processor, pulse until bread become coarse breadcrumbs. Place the fresh breadcrumbs in a bowl and add milk. Let sit for 1 minute then squeeze out the liquid and combine bread with the beef, onion, garlic, oregano, mint, vinegar, eggs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper into a bowl. Incorporate well but be careful not to overmix. Take a heaping tablespoon out at a time and roll the mixture into meatballs.
Add the olive oil to a medium-hot pan. Brown the meatballs on all sides, cook in batches so as not to overcrowd. Place browned meatballs on an oiled sheet pan (or lined with parchment) and finish cooking in oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Serve warm or at room temperature in toasted pita with chopped Romaine lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce.
Tzatziki:
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 cup seeded and small-diced cucumber
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 finely chopped tablespoons of fresh mint
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.