Meatballs With Ouzo And Mint Food

MEATBALLS WITH OUZO AND MINT

Steps:

• Tear bread into bite-size pieces, and place in a small bowl. Add ouzo. Let stand for 10 minutes to soak. Squeeze excess liquid from bread. Transfer bread to a medium bowl. Cook onion in 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft, about 6 minutes. Add onion to bowl with bread.
• Add ground beef to bowl, and break up with your hands. Stir in egg and yolks, capers, garlic, mint, oregano, and salt. Season with pepper. Knead mixture until well combined, then use a spoon to stir until smooth. With moistened hands, shape mixture into 1-inch meatballs, and place on a tray. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, and cook meatballs in batches, about 12 at a time, turning until evenly browned, about 5 minutes. Add fresh oil as needed for each batch. (While you work, keep cooked meatballs warm on a rimmed baking sheet in a 200-degree oven.) Finely grate lemon over meatballs, and serve warm.

MINT AND OUZO FLAVORED MEATBALLS: KEFTEDAKIA

Steps:

• In a bowl, soak the bread pieces in the ouzo until the ouzo is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the meat and onions. Squeeze the bread dry and add to the mixture. Add the remaining ingredients except the flour and Essence, and mix well with your hands. With wet hands, shape the mixture into small balls about the size of a walnut.
• In a shallow dish, combine the flour and Essence. Roll the meatballs in the flour to lightly coat on all sides. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil over high heat. Add the meatballs in batches, being careful not to overcrowd and cook until evenly browned and cooked through, shaking the pan from time to time, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and place in a baking dish in the oven to keep warm. Cook the remaining meatballs, adding more oil as needed to the pan.
• Make the sauce in a separate pan.
• In a separate pan, add the olive oil and heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and carefully add the ouzo. Return the mixture to the heat and flambe. Cook until the flames die down. When the flames go out, add the herbs and cook for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and pour over the meatballs.
• Arrange on a platter, sprinkle with the chopped herbs and grated Kefalotyri, and serve hot with glasses of ouzo.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

GREEK MEATBALLS AND TZATZIKI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a cooling rack over 2 baking sheets for roasting the meatballs and toasting the pita.
• Soak the bread in the milk. Peel the cucumber and grate into a strainer. Salt it and let it drain for 20 minutes.
• Pour the EVOO into a bowl, then add the meat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Squeeze out the bread and crumble between your fingers as you add it to the meat. Add the mint, onions, oregano, cinnamon, 2 of the garlic cloves, egg and 1/2 of the lemon juice, and mix to combine.
• Using a small ice cream scoop, form the meat mixture into about 24 balls and place on the baking sheet. Roast to golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the oven and place the broiler on high. Char the pita under the broiler, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.
• Press the cucumber in the strainer to get out the excess water and add to a food processor. Then add the yogurt, dill, remaining 1 clove garlic, zest and remaining juice of the lemon. Season the sauce with cumin and salt and process until smooth.
• Serve the meatballs with the sauce and pitas.

KEFTEDAKIA (GREEK MINT AND OUZO FLAVORED MEATBALLS)

Steps:

• Soak the bread in the ouzo for at least 5 minutes.
• Heat half the olive oil in a skillet over moderate heat, add the onions, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not brown.
• Remove the onions with a slotted spoon, placing them in a large mixing bowl.
• Squeeze the bread dry (discard the ouzo) and add the bread to the onions.
• Add the ground beef, egg, mint, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and knead vigorously with your hands, then beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
• Shape the beef mixture into balls about the size of walnuts (you may find that wetting your hands with water helps prevent sticking) and then roll the meatballs in the flour to coat evenly.
• Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Add the remaining olive oil to a large skillet and brown the meatballs, 7 or 8 at a time, over high heat, cooking 8 to 10 minutes and shaking the pan from time to time.
• As each batch is done, remove them with a slotted spoon and place on an ovenproof serving platter.
• Keep them warm in a 200°F (100°C) oven while you finish cooking the rest.

OUZO MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Fry onions in olive oil until golden.
• Mix fried onion and all other ingredients together. For this step I use a food processor provided of a spiral dough hook.
• Grease a baking mold with olive oil.
• Grease your hands and shape small balls of about 2''.
• Bake under the grill for about 15 Minutes or until lightly browned und through.
• Serve warm or cold.
• Note: After cooking or just before finishing you can add to the mold the content of 1 tin canned tomatoes, fried onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Bake until boiling and serve.