Keftedes With Ouzo
Dec 18th, 2007 | By Peter Minakis | Category: Greek, Lamb, Meze
Some of you might recall my post about Greek Keftedes, which are Greek hamburgers or meatballs.
I was at the supermarket to buy a few things and I saw a package of ground lamb meat on sale. I’ve had lamb burgers from time to time and I found them to be juicy and a nice departure from the regular burger.
I also recalled seeing a recipe for keftedes which included Greece’s national booze, Ouzo in it. Ouzo is an anise-flavoured spirit widely drank in Greece, known as Raki in Turkey and at one time it even once replaced the banned and hallucinogenic Absinthe.
These keftedes made for a nice meze (appetizer) and the herb combination was refreshing. I prefer grilling such meats but alas, winter is here.
If you’re looking for a new twist on meatballs, give keftedes with ouzo a try. One way or another I’m going to sneak in some Ouzo on you!
Keftedes With Ouzo
1 kilo of lean ground lamb
4 slices bread (soaked in water, then squeezed to remove liquids)
1 egg
1 Tbsp. Ouzo
2 medium sized onions, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh (1 Tbsp. dry) mint, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. dry oregano
flour for dusting meatballs
sunflower oil or corn oil for shallow frying
salt and pepper to taste
- In a bowl, combine the ground lamb and the bread. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, mint, oregano, egg, ouzo, salt and pepper.
- Test out a meatball for flavour by cooking it quickly in the microwave or fry one in a skillet. Adjust for seasoning. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours for the flavours to marry.
- Use your hands to mix all the ingredients.
- Roll into small balls (golf ball size), dust with flour and fry in plenty of hot oil. When browned all over, drain meatballs on paper towel to remove excess oil, then serve.
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Looks good. The ouzo in the keftedes sounds interesting. I will have to try it.
Meatballs is the only Greek recipe which I will not change with my Cypriot ones. This one has the mint in, which I like and the ouzo is interesting. I just had an idea, if I were to make them I would soak the bread and add the ouzo to the water.
I am always amazed by the interesting and delicious recipes you blog about Peter. These keftedes sound delicious. I even found ground lamb at Choices Market. Can you imagine life without ground lamb??
Hola Peter! We call them albóndigas (funny word) and instead of soaking the bread on water we do it with milk. I will look for Ouzo here, see if I find it. I would like to try your Keftedes!!! If I don’t, maybe I can try them with our anise?
definitely sounds more interesting and delish than your average meatballs. i probably won’t be able to stop after a few, though…
nice touch with the ouzo.
Hola Nuria,
If you cannot find ouzo, Pernod would work too.
Mmm, keftedes. One of my favorites. I’ve never tried it with ouzo…will have to give it a whirl next time.
i love keftedes! i remember the egyptians have there version too of this dish they call it keftas im not really sure..i remember eating only this during our one week vacation there (i was a bit scared to try other dishes they have)!! anyways i havent tried preparing this dish yet, your recipe seem easy to make i’ll probably give a try..
Sounds great, Peter. What’s that on the side of the dish that you serve the meatballs with?
Never met keftedes that I didn’t love — these sound like a wonderful version. Perfect for mezedes with … OUZO!
Hi Peter,
I tried making your keftedes over the weekend. However, instead of using soaked bread, I used crushed crackers (crackercrumbs!). My boyfriend thought something was missing so it may be that I need to use the soak bread. “Does not taste like my mommy’s” was the response I got from him. “Good but not the same”! So something for me to work on :) Thanks for the recipe!