Recipe Index

Greek | Lamb Meatballs (Keftedes)

Posted on February 9, 2012

There are many different variations of Greek lamb meatballs. Most recipes add an ingredient or two to the base recipe and then call it their own. I wanted to make a basic tasting one. I'm glad I did, these were awesome. I've seen recipes that serve with a tomato sauce. I think a mint sauce would be good. You could use beef instead of lamb. I used half beef and half lamb. You can make the meatballs larger or smaller. I made fairly small ones. Have fun with this one! This recipe post is part of my Global Bites Project - Greek Cuisine adventure.

Yield: about 20 1-ounce meatballs

lamb meatballs (keftedes)

Ingredients

1 slice white bread

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) water

1 pound ground lamb

5 ounces yellow onion, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon fresh mint, minced

1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, beaten

1 ounce flour, more if needed to coat

3 ounces olive oil

1 lemon, cut into wedges for squeezing

 

Method

Combine white bread and water in a bowl, and allow it to soak for 5 minutes.

With hands, squeeze out excess moisture from bread and place it in a mixing bowl.

Add lamb, onion, oregano, mint, parsley, salt, and egg to mixing bowl with bread, and mix thoroughly with hands to make a smooth mixture. But don't over mix.

Make small meatballs with mixture by rolling it in your hands, and set aside.

Heat pan with olive oil. Coat each meatball with flour, pat off any excess flour. Panfry the meatballs in the heated olive oil.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the meatballs before serving.

 

(Ref. "Keftedes (Lamb Meatballs)" recipe, International Cuisine textbook.)