keftedes (kɛfˈtɛðɛs)
— n
a Greek dish of meatballs cooked with herbs and onions
The newest issue of bon appetit arrived with my mail the other day. I need to take a moment to tell you how much I like love this tantalizing, culinary publication. When it is delivered to my house, I eagerly tear off the protective plastic wrapper, and sit down to oogle over the pages, no matter what may be going on in my household. (yes, I have been known to shush anyone who tries talk to me – how dare they interrupt this joyous monthly event! ) The only flaw I have with this beloved magazine is that the photos do not come with a scratch and sniff feature. (Ok…I think you get the point).
While devouring each page, I found a recipe that I knew I must try immediately, and would have that day but did not have all the ingredients…..sigh. But today I did. Well, all except one. Fresh mint was no where to be found. So I opted to omit that one ingredient.
zucchini keftedes with feta and dill
1 1/3 pounds medium zucchini, trimmed and grated on large holes of boxed grater
– grate onto a clean kitchen towel, spread evenly. Sprinkle zucchini with 1 tsp course salt; let stand at least 30 mins and up to 1 hour. When time is up, wrap zucchini in towel; squeeze out as much liquid as possible – (note this will stain your towel, so don’t use one of your fancy “when company comes over” towels). Place zucchini in medium bowl.
Mix in 1/2 cup of thinly sliced green onion and 3 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dry
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon finely grated or chopped lemon zest
and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
add and mix all of the above ingredients to the zucchini
it will look something like this
NEXT
gently stir in 1 cup of panko bread crumbs and 1 egg (Slightly beaten)
and last but not least stir in 1 cup of feta cheese:
Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
Using 2 tablespoons of mixture for each, shape into 2 -inch-diameter patties, place on baking sheet.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour
Cooking:
Pour enough canola oil into large skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch, heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add patties to skillet. Cook until golden and cooked through, adjusting heat if they brown to quickly, 3 – 4 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels. Serve with dill greek yogurt sauce. – 1 Cup of plain yogurt, 2 Teaspoons dill.
the domestic epicurean 