greek chicken meatball recipe?

[umami_mommy]

anyone have a good recipe you like?

[425lisamarie]

I just make them with ground meat, and egg, some feta, crushed garlic, and oregano. And salt/pepper.

[Gingercat]

I live in Greece and never heard of such a dish before
Meatballs are always made out of pork/ beef mince meat, or you can get vegetarian ones with chickpeas, courgettes, tomatoes etc.

[WorldsBestMom]

Thanks for the info Ginger Cat

[umami_mommy]

sephardic jews (jews of mediterranean countries) make little meatballs out of just about anything including chicken. they are usually called albondigas or kofte.

i was wondering if anyone had any chicken recipes... we don't currently eat beef, and i can't get organic ground pork right now.

[sophiesgrandma]

I am Greek and never heard of chicken meatballs. I make meatballs with beef and add plenty of mint. I crush about 2 tablespoons of dried mint into the mixture along with minced fresh garlic, finely chopped onion, oregano, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, 2 eggs. I mush it all together with my hands and make meatballs and dip in flour and fry in hot oil (half olive, half grapeseed). Use enough oil to cover half the meatball-brown them on one side then turn over and brown on the other. drain on paper towel. Oh so yummy.
Mint is the secret ingredient to make it Greek.

[Princess ConsuelaB]

I make them the same way as sophiesgrandma with the addition of a bit of lemon juice and some coriander(I just like coriander). I do make mine with chicken because I don't like beef and I fry in plain olive oil because that's what I tend to have around.

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by sophiesgrandma

Mint is the secret ingredient to make it Greek.

Do you come from an island? Cause mint is not used at all in Mainland Greece, meatballs always contain lots and lots of dried oregano. But I know that mint is widely used in many islands and also in Cyprus where my mom lives; she adds dried mint (spearmint) in just about every dish

[sophiesgrandma]

I was born in the US but my grandmother comes from Lemnos and my father comes from Karpathos. I learned how to make Greek meatballs from my grandmother. She used mint liberally in her meatballs.
This past summer my dh and I visited Greece and went on a sailing trip to the Cyclades and it was wonderful eating all the different specialties from the different islands.

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by sophiesgrandma

This past summer my dh and I visited Greece and went on a sailing trip to the Cyclades and it was wonderful eating all the different specialties from the different islands.

It is amazing how diverse the Greek cuisine is depending on the location! For example my husband comes from Northern Mainland Greece and there the diet is heavily based on animal products (beef, lamb, cow's and sheep's full fat milk and cheese, mostly like the NT guidelines) and is rather bland as they mostly use oregano and spices like nutmeg and cinammon. But the diet in the islands consists of fish and seafood, legumes and lots of mostly wild plants and herbs. I guess these differences very much depend on the climate and location, Northern Greece is cold and mountainous whereas the islands always have mild weather and long stretches of plains.

[umami_mommy]

gingercat, how do you make plaki? (if you make it)

i have always had it with tomato *sauce,* but all the recipes i find online make it with fresh tomatoes, chopped or sliced.

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by umami_mommy

gingercat, how do you make plaki? (if you make it)

i have always had it with tomato *sauce,* but all the recipes i find online make it with fresh tomatoes, chopped or sliced.

I use fresh tomato sauce. If the tomatoes are not in season and I do not have any in the freezer (usually I make it in late summer when organic tomatoes are ripe and juicy and also cheap and freeze it in glass jars) I may also add a little bit of ready-made tomato sauce or paste.
I also add chopped carots, celery, garlic, onions (or leeks), dried oregano and fresh dill. My MIL on the other hand makes it plain, just tomato sauce with onion and garlic (and some oregano).

[onthemove]

what is plaki?

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by onthemove

what is plaki?

Gigandes plaki

I assume that umami_mommy was referring to beans plaki, correct? You can also make fish plaki but when someone tells me plaki I immediately assume that they talk about the beans

[umami_mommy]

i was talking about plaki fish. sorry.

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by umami_mommy

i was talking about plaki fish. sorry.

Then I'd use fresh chopped tomatoes. And you can certainly use the same veggies I mentioned above

[umami_mommy]

i wonder if i could make plaki beans with white navy beans... i don't like big beans and so gigandes are a big turn off for me.

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by umami_mommy

i wonder if i could make plaki beans with white navy beans... i don't like big beans and so gigandes are a big turn off for me.

Yes, you certainly can! My mom does this often; I'm the opposite, I do not like white navy beans at all but I find the giant beans very sweet and meaty.

[onthemove]

Originally Posted by Gingercat

Gigandes plaki

I assume that umami_mommy was referring to beans plaki, correct? You can also make fish plaki but when someone tells me plaki I immediately assume that they talk about the beans

ooh that sounds delicious!

[Gingercat]

I like to serve this dish with bulgur wheat (to avoid the bread).