Meatballs

Name: Meatballs (Keftedes)
Yield: Serves 4-6
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1½ pounds zucchini or other summer squash, grated; 1 cup milk; 1¼ pounds lean ground beef; 1½ cups bulgur (cracked wheat); 1½ cups bulgur (cracked wheat); 1-1½ teaspoons chopped fresh chili pepper, or ⅓-½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes; 1-1½ teaspoons chopped fresh chili pepper, or ⅓-½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes; 1½ pounds zucchini or other summer squash, grated; 1½ cups finely chopped onions; 3 tablespoons ouzo or dry white wine; 3 tablespoons ouzo or dry white wine; 1½ cups grated Parmesan or kefalotyri cheese; 1½ cups grated Parmesan or kefalotyri cheese; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2-3 eggs; ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; ½ cup chopped fresh mint; Flour, for dredging; 1 tablespoon sea salt or to taste; Olive oil, for frying

Keftedes

Preparation info

Serves
4-6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Foods of Greece

By Aglaia Kremezi

Published 1993

About

Keftedes (plural for kefte) sounds like a Turkish word. As with many Greek dishes, the name was probably given by the Turks, who adopted the dish after they occupied Byzantium. Nevertheless, the name comes from the word kopto, the Byzantine term for ground meat.

There are many recipes for Keftedes. Practically every cook has a particular mixture of ingredients. The following is a combination of recipes from Macedonia and Thrace, and it’s my favorite.

Ingredients

Europe
Greece
Main course
Starter
Mediterranean

Ingredients

Method