I’m not normally a meatball kinda girl… but every now and then, I get the urge to cook up some Greek meatballs the way I remember my yiayia’s tasting. I don’t know exactly what she used to do, but I’ve tried to recreate them and think I’m pretty close with these! Lotsa fresh herbs, some garlic and onions, and just a teensy dash of nutmeg gives them a nice Greek flare. It’s common in Greek cooking to use cinnamon or nutmeg with meat- I’ve opted for nutmeg for this since it’s a little less sweet. It’s served with a simple cucumber-yogurt dip. We like garlic in my house, so I make it garlicky- lessen the amount if you’re not a fan. You can actually play with this dip a lot- add or omit whatever you’re craving. If you’re feeling tight for time, Trader Joe’s has a good pre-made tzatziki, as do many other stores… it’s the same idea 🙂
I usually pan-fry these. They’re not fried-fried, just cooked in a little olive oil to brown and crispy up the outside… you can surely bake them if you prefer. Just cook at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes if you prefer that method. Like I said above, I’m not a huge meatball girl, but I really like these. In Greece, it’s be common to use lamb or a combo of lamb and beef, but I opted for some lean beef and called it good. As with all my cooking, I like to use what’s around and easily available to me (and to you all as well). So use whatever meat you like and have around!
Makes about 20-25 meatballs
INGREDIENTS
For Meatballs…
1 lb ground beef, I used extra lean
1 medium onion, yellow or white
2 garlic cloves, about 1 tbsp minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, flat-leaf
1 1/2 tbsp fresh oregano, Greek if you have it
1 tbsp fresh mint
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp grated parmesan (the powdery/grated kind)
1/ 4 cup milk
1 egg
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
For Cucumber-Yogurt Dip…
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, I used 2 %
1/2 cup chopped cucumber (English don’t need peeling or de-seeding)
1 garlic clove- about 1 tsp minced (for garlicky version- lessen if prefer)
1 tbsp fresh mint
1 tsp dill (fresh if possible, but dried works too)
1/4 tsp salt
dash of black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp salt
dash of black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
For cucumber dip…
I used an English cuke- it was huge- like very huge, so I had to quarter
it first- do whatever you need to do to get the pieces bite-size
Then thinly slice the quarters (or halves), almost as thin as shaving it
(With English cukes, you don’t have to peel them or de-seed- this one is actually a seedless cucumber already, but if using a difernt kind, peeling and de-seeding is recommended)
Mix together yogurt and cucumeber in a bowl
Using garlic press, press garlic into bowl- alternatively, you can
mince garlic if preferred- jut get it teeny!
Then add dill (finely chopped), mint, salt, and pepper
Stir together until smooth, taste, and adjust seasonings as desired
Garnish with fresh mint- optional- and refridgerate until ready to eat
For meatballs…
Finely chop up all herbs
This step is optional, though I like to think it does make a little difference 🙂
Using the large side of a grater (the ‘normal’ cheese-gratin’ side), grate about 1/2 the onion- it will become very mooshy and liquidy.. don’t worry- that’s good!
(I like to think that doing this allows the oniony flavor to ooze and coat the entire meat mixture- it also makes the onion pieces super teeny so they interweave through the meat,
but like I said- no worries if you choose not to)
Dice the other half- the chunks add a nice texture to the meatballs
Then finely mince garlic cloves
In a large mixing bowl, add herbs, onion, garlic, parmesan, milk, and
seasonings (everything except egg and meat)
Stir well
Pre-whisk egg in a separate little bowl so yolk and egg white are blended
Then add egg and meat to bowl and mix everything
I recommend using hands to do this- you don’t want to over-mix the meat… over-handling it
can make it weird, like with hamburgers- just blend it well enough for everything
to be evenly spread throughout the meat mix
Lightly form little balls out of meat mixture- whatever size you want- mine were 1 1/2 inches or so
Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat…
2-3 tbsp should do- just enough to coat bottom of pan
Place meatballs in pan- you don’t want to overcrowd the pan since
you’ll need room to move them around, so do this part in batches
(Alternatively, you can bake these by place on a baking sheet and
cooking at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes, rotating half way through)
After a few minutes, turn meatballs to sides
Keep turning, allowing them to brown on each side, until all areas of the meatballs are cooked and browned- this will take about 10-15 total, depending on how you
want them cooked and how hot your oil is
When done, lay them on a paper towel to absorb extra oil
Repeat until done with entire batch
Like all meats, they should sit a bit before eating to rest
When ready to eat, get out dip, garnish with fresh herbs if you want, and enjoy!!
I served this with the quinoa salad I made in the previous post- click HERE to see
They went really well together… light, refreshing, and both Mediterranean-esk in flavors 🙂
Hiya, just to let you know I’ve nominated you for a One Lovely Blog Award! You have a beautful blog and photos, love it! Read about it here:
http://theboothebearandthegojiberries.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/beetroot-maddness-beet-smoothie-beet.html
Hi Ellie! Thank you so much for the nomination… I am so honored and flattered!!
My pleasure! 🙂