Keftedes, the Greek meatballs flavoured with feta cheese, plenty of fresh herbs, red onion and garlic, are traditionally made with beef and pork. This is a variation made with minced chicken.
The observant reader will have noticed over time that I am a big fan of Greek food and flavours. From the lemon and garlic to the oregano and cinnamon, via the feta, phyllo and of course lots of olives, honey and yoghurt, I adore it all and the interplay between all of these things. And the herbs: parsley, mint, oregano, thyme and dill.
Not all of the above ingredients are in this simple but satisfying dish, but many of them are. We’re using oregano, feta and lemon to make chicken meatballs, a variation of keftedes (which are more often made with a mix of beef and pork mince), and we’re also making lemon potatoes to go alongside, as well as kolokithakia, which we know better as courgette or zucchini.
To marry them all together we’re adding tzatziki, and there’s plenty of dill in that.
Tony’s Greek chicken meatballs with lemon potatoes and zucchini
(Makes 16 small keftedes)
Ingredients
For the keftedes:
500g lean chicken mince
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
¼ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
1 heaped tsp dried oregano
½ cup panko breadcrumbs soaked in a little milk for a minute, before squeezing or straining off the milk
½ cup feta, diced
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 jumbo egg, beaten
Olive oil, for moistening your hands when rolling the meatballs
A dash of olive oil
For the lemon baby potatoes:
12 baby potatoes, whole
Grated zest of 1 lemon
The same lemon, sliced into slim wedges
1 Tbsp dried oregano
Coarse salt
Black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
For the kolokithakia:
8 small courgettes, topped and tailed and sliced in half lengthwise
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 scant tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan, and more for serving
For the tzatziki:
½ a cup of cucumber, peeled in zebra stripes
1 cup thick Greek yoghurt
A clove of garlic, grated
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Olive oil, as needed, for frying
1 Tbsp dill, chopped
Salt and black pepper
Method
Earlier in the day, make some tzatziki: peel the cucumber in zebra stripes – i.e. peel it lengthwise, leaving gaps in between.
Grate the cucumber, salt it lightly, leave it to stand for 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess water through a kitchen cloth or cheesecloth.
Put the cucumber in a bowl and add the yoghurt, grated garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, and salt and black pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil on top and sprinkle some fresh dill over. Refrigerate until needed. (Or dress it with olive oil and fresh dill just before serving.)
For the keftedes:
Combine the minced chicken, onion, garlic, panko crumbs (having strained off the milk they soaked in), mint, dill, dried oregano and lemon zest in a bowl and season with salt and black pepper. Stir in the diced feta.
Beat the egg, add it, and use clean hands to combine the mixture.
Put the bowl in the fridge for half an hour to “set” the mixture and thereby make it easier to shape into balls.
Pour a dash of olive oil into a palm and rub your palms together. On a working surface, divide the mince in half, then again, and again and then once more, until you have 16 little mounds of chicken mince.
Use your oiled hands to roll them into 16 small balls. They can be round or oval – which is more traditional for keftedes in Greece. So, once they’re round, you can squash them a little bit to make them oval, then press down to make oval patties. Set them on a plate. Put them in the fridge for half an hour to firm up a little.
Heat a little olive oil in a pan and pan-fry them until golden, turning or rolling them on all sides while they sizzle.
Meanwhile, prepare the lemon potatoes and zucchini.
For the potatoes, rinse them and pat them thoroughly dry.
Put them in a bowl.
Add the coarse salt, black pepper, dried oregano, grated lemon zest, salt, pepper and olive oil. Add the lemon wedges.
Shake the bowl vigorously, tossing it, to coat the potatoes well.
Put them in an air fryer basket and air-fry at 200°C for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking the basket now and then.
For the kolokithakia, follow a similar pattern as for the potatoes: top and tail the courgettes, slice them in half lengthwise, and put them in a bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, Parmesan and olive oil, and toss the bowl well to coat them.
Pan-fry them in olive oil, turning the courgettes over manually using two forks or spoons, until nicely browned.
Serve the keftedes, potatoes and courgettes around a generous dollop of tzatziki, garnishing the kolokithakia with grated Parmesan. DM
To buy a copy of Tony Jackman’s Retro Karoo Food (Penguin Random House) signed by the author in gold, send an email to him at tony@dailymaverick.co.za. Or buy it through the Daily Maverick Shop.
Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award.
Follow him on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.
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