Helen RandellGreek Night
May 2nd 2010 04:01
A trip to the Hellenic Republic was next on our list of themed dinners and I would like to declare here and now that it was a grand success!
Greek dips with pita, baked eggplant entree, moussaka, Greek meatballs, baklava and a Greek lemon curd and yoghurt cake, as well as a fine selection of beverages - no one went home hungry, and quite a few people went home with some treats for the next day!
In charge of one of the main courses, I was originally going to make a rabbit stew, but upon asking at the butcher, it seems that rabbits have become
a) quite hard to find in shops and
b) quite expensive.
I did have a few people offer to 'acquire' me some 'free range' bunnies - but I politely declined.
Instead, I decided to put together some Greek meatballs, taking inspiration from George Calombaris' Greek Cookery book. The process was pretty simple, and this recipe made about 40 small-medium meatballs, which was perfect for our party of 11. As an option, I also made a simple tomato dipping sauce to go with the meatballs, as well as serving with lemon wedges.
Keftethes (Greek Meatballs)
1kg beef mince
2 whole eggs
bread crumbs made from 4 slices of stale bread, crusts removed
1 large potato, grated and squeezed to remove liquid
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
2 teaspoons fresh mint
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain flour
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for 1 hour.
With moistened hands shape into small balls.
Fry meatballs in a large pot, until browned on all sides and cooked through.
Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.
Serve with lemon wedges and dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauce
Place 800g tinned tomatoes, 1/4 tsp sugar, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp chopped parsley and 1 bay leaf into a medium sized saucepan. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and bring to the boil. Simmer of about 30 minutes.
To serve, remove bay leaf. This could also be used as a simple pasta sauce.
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Comment by GlenB
Raw Fish
Too bad about the rabbit stew. I would like to see you make moussaka though, or baklava (yum), or the lemon curd cake.