Keftedes (pronounced keftethes) are Greek meatballs eaten hot or cold. There is something special about them, they are incredibly moreish and I think every Greek household must have their own version of the recipe. I use lamb mince but there is nothing to say you cannot use pork, beef, veal or a combination. In summer I eat them cold with tzatziki and a salad and in winter I eat them warm with fava. The recipe is versatile in that you add more bread to increase volume, or add different herbs.
The summer I learnt to make Keftethes was the summer I travelled to Athens by Magic Bus. My friend Karen and I had talked for weeks about going to Greece overland and spending the summer lying in the sun. We scoured the back of Time-Out for cheap tickets. One advert caught our attention ‘The Magic Bus’ – return ticket London/Athens/London £55. Tickets were only issued on a cash basis and in person, the offices of The Magic Bus were above a shop in Shaftesbury Ave and pretty shabby. We were both nervous in handing over our hard earned cash for a non-refundable coach ticket but the thought of a summer of love was greater. Our fate was sealed. Hello summer of expectation.
My parents drove us up to Victoria bus station where we boarded the packed coach. My protective father interviewed the two Greek drivers who had little to no English, the cross examination went well until they asked him if he knew the way out of London. I could feel the chill of an ill wind whistle pass my seat.
The promised three and a half day trip turned into ten days of hell. The coach was old, and tatty. It was packed to the brim with people and luggage. There was very little legroom and had we known that we would have to sleep sitting up in our seats for the next ten days we would have got off at Victoria. We were lucky in that the nasty infection which spread through the coach was limited to the foot, which was so nasty the chap sitting behind us ended up in a Greek hospital.
Our drivers were hell bent on driving at break neck speed with as few stops as possible, they had a mission and the rest of us were not in on it. As we approached Mont Blanc the driver’s behaviour became very excited and as we weaved up the mountain we could see what was an earlier Magic Bus. To celebrate their reunion, they took it in turns to over take each other, whilst opening and closing the door shouting and waving. As the coach climbed higher the stunts became more dangerous with the other coach’s spare driver managing to hang out of the door whilst trying to drink a glass of white wine. I think if I hadn’t been so tired, hungry and bashed about I would have been frighten senseless. I sat there rooted to my seat glancing out of the window at the massive drop and wishing I was somewhere else. I had gone off the idea of love.
Shortly after this we had several long delays, which pushed our drivers to the brink of meltdown. One of their ideas was to cut the length of time for our food and toilet stops to a minimum. We as a group tried to revolt and refused to be rushed in returning to the coach. Two of us passengers learnt a hard lesson that we were not in that strong a position, because the coach left without them. No amount of shouting and abuse at the drivers by us stopped the coach. We never saw them again.
From then on in the journey was just pure hell. Two days stuck at the Yugoslavian borders and a lot of backtracking due to the drivers being completely lost. When we did finally arrive in Athens all I can remember is that I was tired and filthy and longed for home.
It took about 24 hours before we bounced back. I spent the rest of the summer staying with Patroklos in Athens. Kyria Cisci, Patroklos’ mother lived in the flat below and was keen to take me under her wing. During the day when Patroklos was at work Kyria Cisci would show me how to iron a man’s shirt and how to cook. One of the recipes she showed me and has stayed with me is keftedes. I think it was because she told me her secret ingredient, which was a little bit of Ouzo added to the mince mixture. I felt very honored to have been let into her secret. I would sit in her kitchen early in the morning (to avoid the mid day heat) and take notes as she went about creating her recipes. I might not have found love that summer but I certainly was prepared if I did!
Keftedes
Ingredients
500g lamb mince
1 egg
1 onion chopped very finely and cooked to transparent stage in a pan with a little butter.
2 slices day old white bread with the crusts cut off. You can use more if you want the meatballs to go further
A little milk for the bread.
Mint – fresh or dried
Oregano – fresh or dried
Salt and pepper
A little Ouzo (optional)
Oil for frying – I use olive but use the oil you like the taste of.
Flour for dusting the meatballs.
Method
- Chop the onion finely and put into a pan with a little butter and leave on a low heat until they are transparent and soft.
- Take the crusts off the bread and submerge the crustless bread in milk and then gently squeeze, you don’t want to make the bread into a pulpy ball but something that will break up easily – if you prefer you can use water instead of the milk.
- Put the bread, egg, meat, herbs, softened onion, salt and pepper into a food processor and give it a good whizz. Lift the lid and make sure it is all well mixed. You can also do this process by hand – the difference is the mince is not as fine. For the best results I put the mixture in the fridge for half an hour for it to rest and for the ingredients to cool down and firm up which will make rolling them into balls much easier.
- Remove from fridge. Take about a tablespoon and a bit of the meat mixture and roll between your hands to create a ball the size of a walnut, drop this ball into the flour and coat. Set aside. Carry on until all the meat has been turned into floured balls. Heat your oil until its hot enough, if you drop a small crumb of bread in and it starts to sizzle its ready. Start placing the balls into the oil, flattening them a little with the back of a spoon. Cook on both sides. The aim is that the meat is cooked throughout not pink.
The size of the keftedes is up to you. They can be made the size of walnuts, or smaller if you want to use them as an appetiser or much larger if you are in a hurry but you need to watch that they are cooked through.
Maria Dernikos 
Ten days?? I don’t know if I could’ve survived that! I think the longest coach journey, apart from London to Belfast, must’ve been from London to Amsterdam. That was bad enough. Luckily, a good friend of mine owned her own travel company so I used to fly off places for practically nothing! Not these days, though.
These meatballs sound delicious. And I’ve been wanting a good, reliable recipe for them. Even though I hardly ever eat mince. Still, with Spring lamb in the stores within the next while this will be good!
I should add that I fly back! but poor old Karen used her return ticket. I think that journey put me off coaches for life and have not stepped foot on one since.
Keftedes are delicious and my favourite is to use lamb, for me it gives a flavour the other meats don’t deliver. Thank you for your comment.
Stories you never want to re-live then again, unless it is of good/delicious food. 😉 We pronounce them ‘kufteh’. And, everybody loves keftedes/kuftehs/meatballs! 😛
I don’t ever want to go on the Magic Bus again but I wouldn’t mind going back to my teenage years!! I shall go and look at the kufteh recipes thank you Fae.
Maria,
I enjoyed reading your story as always. How funny!!! Your recipe reminds me my family’s meatballs a lot. We usually use veal but we do not put the mixture in the blender (as you said, we use our hands), we don’t use ouzo (of course) and we don’t coat the meatballs with flour. The flour coating really intrigues me. I’ll sure try it. Thank you, Maria! 🙂
Its interesting Francesca you mention veal, I was speaking to someone who comes from the North of Greece and she said they used veal where other parts used lamb. I use the food processor because I like the mince to be a finer consistency. I have used Ouzo in the past but if I didn’t really find it added anything, perhaps I should have used more!! The flour coating is a very light coating and I think helps them not to stick in the pan.
Your story was hilarious to reflect upon, given time, but must have been a nightmare as it was unfolding. I have to agree that coaches remain my least attractive way of travelling, and to be avoided at all cost if an alternative can be found.
I have used tuna instead of meat and found it delicious, in a Sri Lankan version of an almost identical dish which they call ‘cutlalotts’ – (my version of their word)..
Maureen I was young and didn’t really realise the full horror until I looked back years later!!
The tuna version sounds very interesting I shall look that up. It’s amazing what one recipe can turn up.
What a story! You had me at the edge of my seat. Oh.My.Gosh. But then that ending with you bonding with Kyria is so sweet! There’s definitely something moreish about keftedes … they are so similar to the Persian koofteh. Would love to try your recipe with the secret ingredient 😉
I think Greek food lends itself more to Persian influence than European. I love the flavours of Persian cooking. Maureen made a comment on here about another similar recipe using tuna from Sri Lanka. Also Fae mentions kooftehs. One thing as you say is that they are definitely moorish!!
Maria – this is just so beautifully written. You should submit it to a travel or food magazine.
When I first started reading, I thought to myself to propose a trip to Greece with you. By the time I finished reading, I decided against proposing that trip!
I did a bus trip of the Australian outback with a friend about twenty years ago. I was prepared for the kind of trip you described but instead – it was absolutely smooth sailing – even in places like Coober Pedy – a remote opal mining town in the middle of the outback where the daytime temperatures are often 40degC plus. We stayed in an underground hostel/motel.
At one point along the route my friend and I skipped the requisite tourist attraction and went to find chocolate and thereby ended up missing the bus. Five minutes down the highway they did a headcount and discovered us missing. The looped back to get us and we were in the doghouse for a while after – especially with a couple of crabby old Australian women who didn’t seem to like us much! Turned out we were more trouble than anything else.
Oh yes – and the lamb meatballs – I make something similar – with goat. they are wonderful and your recipe looks beautiful.
Now about going to Greece together sometime….
Oh Lindy how fantastic, a trip across Australia. Since being put off by coach travel I did a long time ago look into a train journey going from coast to coast.
No doubt your coach driver wasn’t from Melbourne!!!!!!
I don’t know about you but one of the things I am a little sad about is that I didn’t take the pictures I would have taken today with my mobile phone.
One day we should do a trip to Greece but not by coach!! I also don’t favour trains very much either but that is another post!
Wow. This is the best. story.ever! What a way to learn a dish, and how life works, and about the lack of driving laws in other places! LOL re the wine drinking out the door! This really is one of those recipes that every culture has and varies from home to home. I think it’s so cool that this was one of those experiences where you learn to cook and iron a man’s shirt. So vivid. Thank you for this!
Amanda – thank you so much for your comments it funny now looking back that it seemed so important that I learn how to iron a man’s shirt properly but there is a knack and it has served me well!!!! Its mainly the collar technique that the skill kicks in.
Now, that was a baptism by fire, if ever there was one, Maria. Even so, it led to a wonderful stay in Athens. and what were surely priceless cooking lessons. How very fortunate for you, though i doubt you would have used the word “fortunate” while on that bus ride through hell. 🙂
John, I am sure that there are worst coach ride stories out there!!!! As I have said somewhere on this post, I didn’t go back by coach. You might recognise a pattern forming here I don’t do coach or bus journeys in Greece and in the future you will read that I am not too keen on trains either!
That sounds like a nightmare…it’s hard to imagine how these people get away with it. Recipe is delicious and thanks for the breathtaking account of a trip that I’m not going to make:)
I think it was more of a nightmare for my parents waiting at home to hear of my safe arrival. The Magic Bus and its reputation I think was reported in the Daily Mail after there was a crash and they finally ceased to trade. In lots of ways I am glad I made that journey I can’t really see it happening today with all this health and safety.
I remember the Time Out! Haven’t seen one since I lived in London years ago. Boy what a horrid journey, I don’t blame you for flying back. What a trip and what a story!
Time Out and the NME where two publications I couldn’t get by without! Now, I can’t remember the last time I bought either.
I didn’t realise Time Out was still going. If I get to London next year I’ll have to keep my eye out.
No need to step outside your front door. Its free and on line these days http://www.timeout.com/london/free-mag!!
Oh cool!
Oh Maria, as hellish as that trip may have been for you, I rather enjoyed it and found it quite entertaining. 🙂 Those meatballs sound lovely!
I was young it was an adventure! Those meatballs are lovely I can never stop eating them!!
Holy cow, Maria! What an Odyssey (pun intended)! Unbelievable what you and your friend had to endure, and how lucky you were to eventually arrive in Athens in one piece!
Leaving that aside, count me in for a dish of those delicious lamb meatballs with fava! 🙂
What a wonderful recipe!
Francesca is very lucky to have you! You always say the nicest of things.
[…] that was there as any real basis for a meal was one pound of lamb mince. The usual thoughts of Keftedes, or Italian meatballs crossed my mind but I desired something different, something new. Then I […]