Flavor-packed tender meatballs with a crispy crust. Greek meatballs-Keftedakia as an a appetizer, however this dish can be a meal. Most taverns in Greece serve these meatballs as a meze platter with ouzo or tsipouro.
“Tsipouro (Greek: τσίπουρο, romanized: tsípouro) is an un-aged brandy from Greece and in particular Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, and the island of Crete (where Cretans call it tsikoudia). Tsipouro is a strong distilled spirit containing 40–45% alcohol by volume and is produced from either the pomance (the residue of the wine press) or from the wine after the grapes and juice have been separated. It comes in two types, pure and anise-flavoured, and is usually not aged in barrels, although barrel aged versions do exist. According to tradition, the first production of tsipouro was the work of Greek Othodox Monk in the 14th century on Mount Athos.” excerpt from Wikepedia
I remember one of my uncles from Tirnavos, Thessaly used to make it every year. Now Tirnavos is famous for Tsipouro. My family had a few bottles lying around the house every year. I remember my mom around Greek holidays use to prepare meze platters and one of them being Keftedakia with Tzatziki and pita bread with Tsipouro.
What Are Greek Meatballs – Keftedakia
Keftedakia are seriously tasty fried meatballs, derivative of the word keftedes which is used to describe larger meatballs. There are also traditional Greek keftedes in tomato sauce, which are named Smyrna meatballs, known as soutzoukakia Smyrneika. A spicy dish that utilizes garlic and cumin, a recipe that came to Greece from the refugees of Asia Minor. In this recipe, our keftedakia are oven baked, to be lighter than the fried.
In my recipe I use lean ground beef. But also make them using half ground beef and half ground pork if you don’t mind the extra fat. Make these Keftedakia with onion, oregano, tomato paste and garlic, to give them a nice flavor. Use fresh mint leaves and fresh parsley to add a hint of freshness.
How To Make Crispy Keftedakia With Soft Insides
Simply soak some crustless bread in water and then knead it into the ground beef mixture. And let’s not forget the red wine vinegar. This way you keep the meatballs nice and soft on the inside. As for giving them a crispy texture on the outside, all you have to do is roll them in flour and then deep-fry. Each of the meatballs – keftedakia is about 30 grams the size of a golf ball.
Frying or baking the meatballs
Greek meatballs (keftedakia) are traditionally cooked in a frying pan. Fry the keftedakia in batches of 10-15 at a time, until golden brown on all sides.
Instead of frying, you may bake / grill the keftedakia in the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C/360F and line a baking sheet with un-floured keftedes about an inch apart.
Bake for 20 minutes, turning the meatballs upside down halfway through cooking time. Because this is grilled rather than fried, it is perfect if you want a healthier option!
Greek meatballs – Keftedakia
Ingredients
- 500 grams lean minced meat
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1/3 cup fresh mint (chopped)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 70 grams stale bread soaked in water and squeezed to remove the excess water
For Frying Keftedakia
- flour for dredging
- olive oil
Instructions
Prepping Keftedakia
- Place bread into a small bowl and add water to soak the bread. Let sit at least 5 minutes, then squeeze out the water using a sieve.
- Have the onions, garlic, mint and parsley chopped and ready to go.
- Place meat, egg, wet bread mix, oregano, vinegar, oil, tomato paste, salt and pepper into a bowl. Add the onions, garlic, mint and parsley. Mix and knead well, to get the flavors distributed evenly through the meat.
- Cover the bowl, let marinate 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.
Baking Keftedakia
- Measure out about 30 grams for each meatball and shape into a ball. Place onto baking tray covered with baking paper. Sprinkle each meatball with a little olive oil..
- Bake for thirty minutes at 360 F or 180 C. After 15 minutes flip them over.
Frying Keftedakia
- Measure out about 30 grams for each meatball and shape into a ball. Place onto a large plate.
- Measure out about 1 cup of flour into a bowl.
- Set up the fyring pan. In a large skillet, pour in either corn oil or vegetable oil, enough to cover the meatballs half way up. Warm up the oil.
- Dredge about 10 – 15 meatballs at a time, roll and shake off excess flour, place into hot oil, until nicely browned on all sides.
- Once browned, remove from heat and place onto a plate with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.
