by Rea Papakonstantopoulos

Created on: May 21, 2009

Greek Meatballs with Ouzo (Keftedakia me Ouzo)

Greek cuisine at its best is simple food; however, that does not mean it is plain or bland. Rather than rely on an abundance of exotic spices and slick sauces, the purity and freshness of the ingredients is what flavors traditional Greek food. An interesting fact about Greek cuisine is that recipes can differ due to regional influences, seasonal availability of ingredients, or even the desire of the Greek cook to experiment. One such example of recipe variation is keftedakia (Greek meatballs), a dish that every Greek family eats. For this simple recipe, changing even one ingredient can result in a very different-tasting dish. Adding

Ouzo -an anise-flavored spirit - to the classic recipe results in a distinctly metropolitan dish.

Cook Time: 30 minutes Yield: serves 2-3 people

Ingredients:

2 bread slices, crumbled

2 eggs

1 lb ground beef

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried mint

teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons ouzo

flour for coating

olive oil for frying

Preparation

In a large bowl place the bread crumbs, eggs, ground beef, garlic, onion, oregano, mint dill, pepper, sea salt, olive oil, and ouzo. Mix ingredients together by hand. Form the meat into one-inch balls and coat with flour.

Generously coat the bottom of a large frying pan with olive oil. Heat oil to medium. Fry meatballs, turning all over until crisp and brown.

Cooking Notes

Toasting the bread slices helps you crumble them into smaller pieces. You may also substitute store-bought bread crumbs. Another option is to soak the bread in ouzo before adding it to the mix.

Serving Suggestions

Try serving keftedakia with a horiatiki salata (village salad), patates tiganites (Greek-style french fries), and tzatziki(yogurt cucumber sauce).

Learn more about this author, Rea Papakonstantopoulos.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.