Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)

Prep Time: 20 minutes                   Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Yield: about 30 meatballs

Ingredients:

2-3 slices of white bread (sourdough is perfect), crusts removed
Cream (light or heavy), or whole milk

1 large egg
1 onion, minced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cumin
1 teaspoon ( 5 mL) Kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried
2-3 tablespoons (30-40 mL) fresh chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh chopped mint leaves

450 g (1 pound) of ground meat; half of which should be ground lamb

All-purpose flour for dredging
Vegetable oil for sautéing

Garnish:   Juice and zest of ½ of a fresh lemon; 3-4 tablespoons feta cheese; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Method:

1. In a small bowl, soak the bread slices in the cream or milk for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze the bread, and place in a large mixing bowl. Discard cream/milk.
2. Add the egg, minced onion and garlic, olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, cilantro, and mint to the bowl. Mix to thoroughly combine.
3. Fold in the ground meat and gently mix until well combined. Don’t over-mix.
4. Form into small meatballs. Roll in flour (flouring the meatballs twice is a way to get a good crust on them).
5. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat;  Add some vegetable oil.   Saute the meatballs, a few at a time, in the hot oil. Place in a warm oven until all meatballs are cooked.
6. Just before serving, sprinkle the meatballs with the lemon juice, lemon zest, feta cheese and parsley.

Comments and questions are always welcome      alex@chilipeppersandpears.com ^[1]