Keftedes

Keftedes are simply Greek hamburgers. You've probably already tried a keftai at a burger joint. You know the ones... where there's always a souvlaki and a home burger on the menu? Chances are the home burger is from a recipe from the greek owners!

Keftedes are versatile in Greek cuisine. They can be the meat portion of a meal or just an appetizer/meze or a part of a huge Greek onslaught of BBQ'ed meat.

I'm not reinventing the wheel here but some basics should be followed when making Keftedes:

• Grill them. Frying ground meat other than for browning is a waste of good ground meat.
• Allow the ground meat mixture to marry, the longer - the better a result.
• Brush and oil your grill. Dirty, crusty and dry grills will cause your meat to stick...every time.
• Test your batch to see if seasoning needs adjustments. Before I go & grill a tray of keftedes, I always make a little meatball and nuke it so I can taste and see if I need to add any seasoning or spices.
• Cook'em well done. In this day & age, no one should ask you how you'd like your burger. It should always be "well-done". If a restaurant asks you how you like your burger - RUN!

Keftedes

1 kg. of lean ground beef
2 medium onions, box grated
4 slices of bread, soaked and hand squeezed and then crumbled
1 tsp of garlic powder/1 tbsp grated fresh garlic
2 eggs (for binding)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chopped parsley
pinch of cumin
salt & pepper to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well using your hands.
2. Form palm-sized patties with your hands and reserve in a platter. Cover with cling-wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
3. Before grilling, allow the keftedes to come back to room temperature. Grill on medium-high heat cook for3-4 minutes a side.
   

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