Meze Meatballs Food

MEZE MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and add the milk. Leave for 5 mins, or until the milk has been absorbed. Add the rest of the meatball ingredients, except the flour and oil. Season well with salt and pepper and mix everything well with your hands, then shape into meatballs a bit larger than a cherry tomato. You should have about 24. Cover and chill the meatballs for at least 30 mins. Will keep covered and chilled for up to 24 hrs.
• When you're ready to cook, tip the flour into a shallow bowl. Roll the meatballs in the flour to coat, then heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the meatballs for 10-12 mins, rolling them around the pan until nicely browned on all sides and cooked through. To serve, arrange on a platter with some chopped salad made using the cucumber, tomatoes and red onion, and bowls of hummus and tzatziki alongside. Toast the pittas and let everyone make their own meatball kebab, stuffing the meatballs, salad and dips into the pittas.

GREEK MEATBALLS RECIPE (KEFTEDES/ KEFTETHES)

Steps:

• To prepare this traditional Greek meatballs recipe (keftedes), add all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well (for about 5-10 minutes), squeezing with your hands, to allow the flavours to blend. Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Turn the mixture for the keftedes out of the fridge and roll into meatballs the size of a walnut (or bigger if you prefer). If you're frying them, dredge the rolled meatballs lightly in flour making sure to shake off any excess. Fry until nicely browned on all sides.
• The traditional way of cooking Greek meatballs (keftedes) is frying them. Fry the keftedes in batches of 10-15 at a time, until nicely browned on all sides.
• Instead of frying you can bake / grill the keftedes in the oven. Preheat the oven at 200C, place the un-floured keftedes on greased baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning the meatballs upside down midway through cooking time. The grilled version is much lighter than the fried so theres not excuse to not trying it now!
• Keftedes (Greek meatballs) are ideally served as an appetizer (meze) with some creamy tzatziki sauce and pita breads or as a main course with some basmati rice and a Greek salad. Enjoy!

GREEK MEZZE PLATTER

Steps:

• Artfully arrange the marinated feta, red peppers, stuffed grape leaves and a small bowl filled with the hummus on a platter. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the hummus and add a drizzle of olive oil. Place the pita chips on the platter and arrange the sprigs of thyme over the red peppers, for decoration.
• Combine the dried thyme, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Lay the feta slices overlapping on a 9 × 9-inch square serving plate.
• Sprinkle the feta with the entire herb mixture. Nestle the thyme sprigs and olives among the feta slices. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve at room temperature.
• "Make It Ahead" by Ina Garten © Clarkson Potter 2014. Provided courtesy of Ina Garten. All rights reserved.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice the pita bread into 8 triangles and place them on a sheet pan. Place the sheet pan in the oven and toast the bread for 10 minutes.