Mint & Ouzo Flavoured Meatballs
"Lovely meatballs to serve as an appetizer. I got this recipe from a Mideast cooking sight."
- Ready In:
- 50mins
- Ingredients:
- 11
- Yields:
-
30 meatballs
ingredients
- 2 slices of home-made style bread, trimmed of crust and torn into small pieces
- 60 ml ouzo (or substitute another anise flavoured liqueur)
- 90 ml olive oil
- 125 ml finely chopped onions
- 450 g lean ground beef or 450 g use lamb
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves or 5 ml dried mint
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 ml dried oregano
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
directions
- Soak the bread in the ouzo for at least 5 minutes.
- Heat half the oil in a skillet over moderate heat, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not brown.
- Remove the onions with a slotted spoon, placing them in a large mixing bowl.
- Squeeze the bread dry (discard the ouzo) and add the bread to the onions.
- Add the ground beef, egg, mint, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and knead vigorously with your hands, then beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
- Shape the beef mixture into balls about the size of walnuts (you may find wetting your hands with water helps prevent sticking) and then rolls the meatballs in the flour to coat evenly.
- Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for one hour at least.
- Add the remaining olive oil to a large skillet and brown the meatballs, 7 or 8 at a time over high heat, cooking 8 to 10 minutes and shaking the pan from time to time.
- Keep them warm in a 200 degree F (100c) oven while you finish cooking the rest.
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Reviews
-
This has an unusual taste, one which my husband and I enjoyed--definitely tastes "Middle-Eastern" to us. I used ground beef, and instead of frying as meatballs I formed this into a loaf and baked with excellent result. In my opinion this would be nice served with a tart yogurt-based sauce on the side. Thanks for posting !
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Latchy
Torquay, Queensland - Australia
Our dear friend Latchy passed away from acute myeloid leukemia in August 2006, after being diagnosed with the disease in October 2005. She was a dear friend to many Recipezaar members throughout the world and she will be greatly missed. Latchy was a great chef; and her speciality was Asian food. She loved wine and cheese, but wasn’t fussed on desserts. She had a great sense of humour and was the life of any party. Latchy was her childhood nickname, and those of us who knew her real name still called her ‘Latch’. We loved her. With the permission of Latchy’s daughter, here is the eulogy read at her funeral (edited slightly to maintain the family’s privacy). Recipezaar and her Recipezaar chat group, the ‘Tipsy Tarts’ were represented at the funeral by Latchy’s close Zaar friends, Mummamills, Chrissyo and Liara:
“Latchy, was born in Melbourne in 1939. In her younger years she led a very energetic life and was very involved in swimming and dancing. She had the opportunity to compete in the 1956 Olympics but couldn’t be fussed to do the training and preferred to enjoy herself instead.
Latchy met her late husband, Bruce, in Melbourne. Bruce being with the army, they started their life of travel together and extended their family. Their first child was born in Perth, their second in New Guinea and their third child, in Melbourne. They also lived in Newcastle, Sydney, and Singapore before settling in Brisbane.
It was in Singapore that her love of cooking, sewing and craft began. Latchy broke
military protocol for dining-in nights. Women were finally allowed to attend.
One day, Bruce was watching a TV program about sailing around the world. On the program when the wife was told of this plan she said “No Way”, but Latchy said, “When are you going to start?”
So, Bruce retired from the army to begin building a 54 foot steel ketch in the back yard, learning as he went. Latchy worked for many years until they finally set off around the world in 1987. They got as far as Malaysia and loved it so much they didn’t go any further. They loved the lifestyle, the people and the food and only came back when Bruce fell ill.
After Bruce passed away, Latchy developed her talents, such as painting, and became involved with her family and grandchildren. About 7 years ago, she decided to make her life in Hervey Bay, a beach-side retirement town in Queensland, Australia. She loved the lifestyle, the people and became very involved in the community life.
Latchy started volunteering with tax help, then the multicultural respite where she
put her cooking skills to use and then with Legacy (an organization which supports the widows of servicemen and ex-servicemen). Latchy opened up a new world by learning about computers and the internet and she met her great friends, the Tipsy Tarts through the website Recipezaar.
Latchy was a strong, independent, funny, straight forward and loving mother, grandmother and friend, and we will miss her greatly.”
