Penguin Books Australia

Free recipe from Georgie Porgie, by George Calombaris, Keftedes, page 95.

Keftedes are the Greek version of meatballs. I love eating them, even when they are cold. They taste especially good slipped into a white bread sandwich along with some pickles.

Serves 4
3 slices stale white bread with crusts (75 g), torn
1 cup (250 ml) milk
500 g minced lamb
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1/4 cup (3 tablespoons) chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
sea salt
1/3 cup (50 g) plain flour, for coating
olive oil, for frying

Natural Greek-style yoghurt and lemon wedges, to serve

Cucumber, coriander, onion and mint salad (optional), to serve

1. Soak the bread in the milk for 5 minutes, then squeeze out excess milk and place the bread in a large bowl. Discard the leftover milk.
2. Add the minced lamb, onion, garlic, oregano, mint, parsley, vinegar, egg, nutmeg and salt to the bowl and mix well with your hands, squeezing the mixture well to combine all the ingredients. Cover with plastic film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
3. Remove the mince mixture from the fridge, then roll into long meatballs; you should have about 24. Roll in flour to coat.
4. Pour enough olive oil for shallow-frying into a frying pan until it covers the base. Heat over medium heat, then cook the meatballs in batches for 3 minutes on each side or until cooked and browned.
5. Remove the meatballs from the pan and leave to drain on paper towel.
6. Serve the keftedes on a plate with lemon wedges and a bowl of yoghurt with salad to the side, if desired.
   

Did you know?

• If you are mixing herbs, onion or spices through mince, make sure the flavouring ingredients are spread evenly by placing all the ingredients in a large ziplock bag, then seal and massage.