Meatballs (Keftedakia)

Today I will write about a really famous greek recipee. I cooked it many times for my friends in erasmus and they all loved it, so I decided to share it with you as well. It's not particularly difficult, you just need to be patient, because it does require some time. I am talking about keftedakia, which means meatballs. I will use the recipee I have learnt from my mother, but you should know that there are more recipees around Greece, where some details are different (mostly regarding the spices used).

Ingredients:

• 400g. of minced beef

• 400g. Of minced pork (the recipee is better when you use half of both types of meat, but if you can't eat one of them, just use 800g. Of one of them and the recipee will be fine)

• 3 slices of bread, preferrably made 1-2 days before, which you should wet until it gets softer and then squeeze the water off

• 2 large grated onions

• 1 tight tomato, grated

• 1 spoonful of wine vinegar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon of oregano

• 1 spoonful of chopped fresh basil

• 1 spoonful of chopped fresh mint

• 1 spoonful of chopped parsley

• salt

• pepper

• oil for frying

• flour for frying

In a bowl , spread the minced meat and pour the vinegar. Push it in the middle and add all the ingredients: the bread, the onions, the spices and the egg.

Then, mix the ingredients with your hands until it comes together as a whole. After that, cover the bowl with a plate or towel and leave it in the fridge for half an hour. After that, take if off the fridge and start shaping round meatballs. Then, put them in flour.

Meanwhile, you should warm some olive oil. About its quantity: Put that much oil in the frying pan, so that it covers half a meatball. When the oil is ready, put the meatballs in and fry them for 3 minutes. Then turn them around and let them fry for another 3 minutes. Then, they are ready!

• When you first make them, they taste better as they are, without a sauce.

• If there are some meatballs left on the next day, put a simple tomato sauce in the pot and, when it's almost boiling, add the meatballs. Once the sauce has boiled, your meal is ready.

• If you are wondering how to serve the meatballs, you should know that they perfectly go with pretty much anything: french fries, boiled potatoes, baked potatoes, rice or spaghetti.

• On the first day, that you eat the meatballs plain, you can make a sauce on the side, using mayonnaise and mustard. Use two parts mayonnaise and one part of mustard and mix it well.

• This food is ideal to eat alongside a greek salad. If you don't have the time or ingredients to prepare one, serve it with a plain tomato salad or with a green salad.