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Summer Greek Meatballs (Keftedes Kalokairinoi)

Ingredients for greek recipe keftedes kalokairinoi summer meatballs.You can call them meatballs, but these summer keftedes are almost vegetable fritters flavored with meat. Carnivores will love them without realizing how many vegetables are tucked inside. I adore these summer meatballs, but I had misplaced the recipe I learned from Mama. With eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes ready in the garden, I called her and she walked me through it in her own way.

“How much parsley, Mama?”
“Eh, you know, enough!”

Apparently Mama trusts my judgment now—well, sort of. When I told her I was working with one kilo of meat, she asked with a note of suspicion, “You mean you have two pounds?”

This recipe can easily be halved.

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef
6 slices bread, soaked in milk and squeezed out
2 thick slices feta cheese, crumbled
6 tomatoes, chopped
1 round eggplant or 4 Japanese eggplants, peeled and finely chopped
2 banana or Anaheim peppers, finely chopped
2 small zucchini, finely chopped (optional)
6 onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 bunches parsley, minced
40 fresh oregano leaves, minced or 1 tbsp dried oregano (not powdered)
2 eggs
1/2 cup ouzo (or red wine or beer)
4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
a few cups flour for forming the meatballs
several cups oil for frying

Cook It!

Put the ground beef in a large bowl. Tear the soaked, squeezed-out bread into pieces and add it. Crumble the feta into the bowl, then add the chopped tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, zucchini (if using), onions, garlic, parsley, oregano, eggs, ouzo, salt, and pepper. Halfway through adding everything you may decide your mixing bowl is too small—transfer to a larger bowl if needed.

Adding bread and feta to meat for greek recipe keftedes kalokairinoi summer meatballs.

Use your hands to mix the ingredients very thoroughly—Mama insisted on this step. Mix until everything is evenly combined. Place the mixed meat in a colander set over a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour, or preferably overnight. This lets flavors meld and drains excess liquid.

Drain meat mix in colander for greek recipe keftedakia kalokairinoi.

When ready to form the keftedes, place a small blob of the mixture (about a tablespoon) into a pan of flour. Sprinkle a handful of flour over the meat blob, pick it up with the flour, and roll it into a ball. The mixture will be quite wet, so press and shape it firmly. Flatten each ball gently into a thick disk and set aside on a tray.

Put meat in flour for greek recipe keftedakia kalokairinoi summer meatballs.

Cover blob of meat with flour for greek recipe keftedes kalokairinoi summer meatballs.

Form flattish meatballs for the greek recipe keftedes kalokairinoi summer meatballs.

Heat a couple of inches of oil in a deep pan until hot. Add several meatballs at a time—do not overcrowd the pan; they need space to “swim.” If the oil is hot enough they will sizzle immediately. Fry until the outside is nicely browned, then remove to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.

Frying the summer meatballs for greek recipe keftedes kalokairinoi

Note: the flour from the coating will brown the oil as you fry. If the oil becomes very dark, wipe out the pan and replenish with fresh oil. Dark, overused oil can give the meatballs a bitter taste and may cause them to appear done on the outside before they are cooked through.

The summer meatballs are done, greek recipe keftedes kalokairini

These keftedes are best served hot straight from the pan, but they reheat well and freeze nicely, making them ideal for batch cooking. I always make a large batch so there are leftovers to enjoy or freeze for later.