Name: Leek and Meat Fritters (Albóndigas de Prasa)
Yield: Makes 36 to 40 meatballs; serves 6 to 8
Cuisine: Turkey
Ingredients: ½ cup chopped fresh dill (optional); 2 to 3 tablespoons grated walnuts (optional); 2 eggs, separated; ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional); all-purpose flour or matzoh meal; 3 pounds leeks (12 small, 8 medium, or 4 large); ¾ pound ground beef or lamb; 3 slices rustic bread, crusts removed, soaked in water, and squeezed dry, or 2 potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed (about 1 cup); ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; olive oil for frying; 2 onion skin eggs, peeled and finely chopped; lemon wedges; 1½ teaspoons salt, plus salt to taste

Preparation info

Makes 36 to 40 meatballs; serves
6 to 8

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Sephardic Flavors

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2000

About

Meat patties extended with cooked vegetables are common on the Sephardic table. The classic combination of leeks and meat is associated with Izmir, and of spinach and meat with Salonika. The mixture may be thickened with fresh bread crumbs or with mashed potatoes. Nicholas Stavroulakis adds chopped haminado eggs and dill, while Esin Eden adds cinnamon. Sometimes grated walnuts are added for albóndigas de prasa kon muez, a recipe from Sefarad Yemekleri.