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onion ground lamb tomatoes fairly ground cumin flat leaf parsley handful fresh mint salt fresh ground pepper flour olive oil
Viewed: 28 - Published at: 3 years agoIngredients
- 1 large onion, very finely minced
- 1 lb. ground lamb or beef or a mixture of both
- 1 large or 2 medium-sized tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
- 1/2 c. fairly fine, but fresh bread crumbs
- 1 to 2 Tbsp. ground cumin to taste
- 1/4 c. packed flat leaf parsley, chopped
- small handful fresh mint leaves, finely chopped at last minute
- sea salt to taste
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- flour for rolling the meatballs
- olive oil for frying (preferably Greek)
Method
- Place minced onion in small saucepan, together with about 1/4 cup water.
- Simmer gently until the onion is tender, about 10 minutes.
- All of the water will have evaporated by now.
- Remove the pan and set on one side for a few minutes.
- Watch onion.
- In a small, dry saute pan or saucepan, gently heat the ground cumin for a few minutes or until it begins to give out an aroma.
- This is proof that the heat is releasing the essential oils of the cumin. Set on one side for a few minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the meat, onion, chopped tomato, parsley, cumin, mint and bread crumbs.
- Add some salt and plenty of pepper, as well as about half of the cumin.
- Taste the mixture and be prepared to add the rest of the cumin (or even more).
- Add egg and more salt.
- Refrigerate meat for 1/2 hour.
- Have a large plate ready, covered with flour. Lightly flour your hands with some of it.
- Form the mixture into small balls, the size depending entirely on your preference.
- In Greece, they are usually the size of a silver dollar and slightly flattened if served as a main course and about the size of a half dollar (and again, slightly flattened) if being used as a first course.
- Heat some olive oil in a large saute pan.
- Prepare your grill or oil a baking sheet for the oven.
- Cook the Kephtethes in your preferred way (the oven should be about 375° for small or 400° for large), turning them very carefully after they have been browned on one side.
- Baking sheet should be heated.
- Serve hot, cold or somewhere in between as they do in Greece, decorated with a little chopped parsley or mint.
- Don't overcook.
