1 karen mintzias
1 lb lean beef or veal, ground
1 medium onion, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 slice bread, crusts removed
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tbsp parsley, (minced)
2 mint sprigs, chopped
1/2 tsp ground allspice*
1 tbsp dry red wine
2 tbsp water (more if necessary)
1 salt & freshly ground pepper
1 all-purpose flour
1 oil for frying
Directions
*Note: Bread slices should be soaked in water, then
squeezed dry. *Ground cinnamon or corriander may be
substituted for allspice if desired. In a large bowl,
combine the ground meat with the onion, garlic, bread,
egg parsley, mint, spice, and wine and knead for 2
minutes. The mixture should be soft; add a few
tablespoons of water if necessary. Season with salt
and pepper to taste, then cover and refrigerate for at
least 1 hour. Pinch off small pieces the size of
walnuts or smaller and roll into balls between your
palms, then dredge lightly in flour. Heat the oil in
a frying pan to the smoking point, slip in the
keftedes, and fry until crisp, turning constantly with
tongs. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on
absorbent paper. From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma
Liacouras Chantiles, Avenel Books, New York.
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias
Servings: 24 servings
Keftedes Tiganites (Fried Greek "Meatballs") Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Meat; Meatball
The History of Recipes
We can read the history of written recipes way back into antiquity, certainly as far as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and potentially, even further back. In practice though, sadly, these old cook books were just basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
In fact, the oldest recipe in existence, according to experts is a collection of ancient tablets in the Sumerian language which recount the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel wonderful and blissful. Progressing into Roman times around 25BC a roman called Apicius compiled a few documents detailing recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. In his publication, he tells us how the meals were divided into hors d`oeuvres, entrees and dessert, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Additionally, he tells us how the Romans were skilled in the use of a good variety of spices, including a few you will know like basil, mint and parsley. Later on, there were a couple of cookery books published in the fourteenth century - a recipe book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary named `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are a little misleading though, these books are nothing to do with the indian food that is served today, but instead recipes for the types of meals cooked for the upper classes of that period. Later on in the 1400s, people returning from the crusades brought us a variety of foods and spices from Arab countries, including spices like coriander, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new tastes created an outbreak in publications on food, the majority of which are kept safe in private collections. For the next few years, the rich and powerful families of Europe competed to lay on the most extravagent banquests, and as a consequence, the best chefs and their recipes became highly prized. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 1800s that fine cookery and cookery books became popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, spent years to collecting, testing, and writing down recipes to help cooks of their time. By the advent of the twentieth century, cookery publications are highly popular as a result of more people being able to read, people having increased leisure time and disposable income. The introduction of the TV brings us TV cooks and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everybody to access thousands of recipes such as those found on this recipe site. |
We hope you enjoy this Keftedes Tiganites (Fried Greek _Meatballs_) recipe.
