This keftedes recipe was inspired by many different online recipes and perfected by myself and my partner! Coming from a Greek background, we have both always loved eating Greek food however mostly at yiayia’s or at a restaurant. Craving a home-cooked Greek meal one night, we decided to make keftedes and used an online recipe.
We have now made them many times, adding and subtracting certain ingredients in order to make the most delicious and perfect keftedes (in my case, minimal parsley/μαϊντανό – feel free to add more if it’s your cup of tea)!
I hope that you enjoy this recipe and I’m sure that your yiayia or pappou will be so proud of you for taking the initiative to learn a new recipe just as mine were. If you want to learn to make something, I say go for it! It might take a few times to get it just right but nothing is better than homemade Greek food.
INGREDIENTS
1 red onion, grated
750g beef mince
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
6 large mint leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (preferably from the xorio in Greece)
1 tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup of flour
METHOD
1. Grate the onion into a large bowl and add beef mince, breadcrumbs, eggs, garlic, parsley, mint leaves, dried oregano, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
2. Use your hands to mix the mixture for a few minutes until it is well combined.
3. (Optional: Refrigerate for one hour to make the meatballs easier to roll.)
4. Measure heaped tablespoons and roll into balls with your hands.
5. Turn your stove on to a medium-high heat and cover the surface of your frying pan with olive oil.
6. Before placing meatballs in the frying pan, dust lightly with flour and shake off the excess. Then place them in the frying pan. Roll them around and cook for 5-6 minutes.
7. Enjoy as part of a mezze platter, alongside some pita bread and tzatziki! Καλή Όρεξη!
