Enjoy These Three Greek Keftedes Recipes
Leek Croquettes
Small pan-fried patties, typically referred to as keftedes, stand as a treasured speciality in Sephardic culinary traditions. These wonderful leek fritters offer a tasty combination of savory beef with the delicate, sweetly mild taste of tender leeks, rendering them absolutely crave-worthy.
Makes 12
- 4 large leeks
- 250g ground beef
- 2 fresh eggs
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp chopped dill, diced
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced
- ½ tsp mild paprika
- Oil, for pan-frying
- Fresh lemon wedges, to serve
Clean the green leeks well and cut away the base and most of the green stalk. Cut in half along the length then into 1.5cm slices. Place in a deep pan and cover with cold water, then heat over a moderate heat for about twenty minutes or until tender.
Strain the softened leeks and place in a large mixing bowl with the minced beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, fresh dill, flat-leaf parsley and sweet paprika and flavor liberally with seasoning. Mix thoroughly using your hands then form a couple of tablespoonfuls into a ball, pressing a bit. Put on a plate and proceed for the balance of the preparation.
Heat oil in a pan to a amount of about ¾ inch over a medium heat. When the olive oil is hot, cook the patties in small groups until golden on each side. (Do not fill the pan as this drops the heat of the cooking oil.) Remove the finished croquettes to a tray covered with kitchen paper and allow to cool.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Spinach Croquettes
These delightful spinach and cheese croquettes are a real pleasure. The crunchy outside opens up to a creamy center. The fresh spinach imparts a bright, moderately natural flavor, while the grated cheese provides a rich, savory creaminess. Feel free to swap the dairy cheese with steamed, pureed spuds if you like.
Produces 16–18
- 1kg baby spinach (or else about 500g iced spinach, defrosted overnight in the fridge)
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion, diced small
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 100g salty cheese, grated
- 80g ricotta
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp mild spice
- 120g crumbs (1 and ¼ cups), with more if needed
- 3 large eggs
- Cooking oil for frying (or use neutral oil)
- Lemon wedges, to accompany
When using fresh spinach, clean it thoroughly, removing any tough stems, and coarsely chop it into big pieces. Transfer in a deep pan with a small amount hot water over a moderate heat. Once wilted, strain in a sieve for about 15 minutes, then remove any excess liquid and reserve.
When working with defrosted spinach, carefully squeeze out extra water.
Preheat the oil in a skillet over a medium heat and cook the chopped onion and minced garlic until softened, about a few minutes. Turn off the flame.
Combine the prepared spinach, sauteed onion and softened garlic, hard cheese, soft cheese, nutmeg, sweet paprika, dry crumbs and beaten eggs in a big mixing bowl and flavor with salt and pepper. Mix completely until incorporated. If the dough looks too wet, add some more crumbs.
By hand, shape the mixture into oval shapes a bit bigger than a walnut shell but more compact than an chicken egg, and set them on a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
In a wide pan over medium heat, preheat cooking oil to a amount of about 1 centimeter. Brown the patties a few at a time for a couple of minutes per side, flipping so they are golden everywhere, then put on absorbent paper.
Offer with fresh lemon.
Kroketes Fakes
Featuring a golden crust and soft inside, these fritters are not only delicious but also a extremely healthy appetizer or meal.
Yields 12
- 45g dried brown lentils (¼ cup)
- 90g burghul (½ cup)
- 125ml olive oil (½ cup)
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp cumin spice
- 1 tbsp mint leaves, diced
- 1 tbsp parsley, diced
- 1 egg
- Pepper and salt, to taste
- Greek yoghurt and lemon wedges, to serve
Put the dry lentils in a pan and fill with ample water. Boil over a moderate heat for about 20 mins or until nearly done, including additional water to ensure the lentils covered if needed.
Mix in the cracked wheat and keep cooking until tender. Strain the lentils and burghul thoroughly and reserve in a bowl.
Warm half of the