Description
Keftedes in Lemon Sauce is a traditional Greek dish featuring flavorful meatballs made with ground pork and beef, seasoned with herbs and spices, then simmered in a bright and tangy lemon butter sauce. This dish offers a perfect balance of savory and citrus, ideal for a comforting main course.
Ingredients
Scale
For The Meatballs:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 200 grams ground pork (7 ounces)
- 400 grams lean ground beef (14 ounces)
- 1 large egg
- 100 grams crustless bread (3.5 ounces)
- 125 ml white wine (½ cup)
- 100 grams onion, minced (½ cup)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano plus extra to serve
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley or fresh minced
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt plus extra for the sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper plus extra for the sauce
For The Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups hot water or stock (vegetable, beef, or chicken)
- 8-10 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare the bread: Soak the crustless bread in white wine, tearing it into smaller pieces, and let it soak for a couple of minutes until softened.
- Make the meatball mixture: In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, ground beef, egg, minced onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add the soaked bread, crumbling it as much as possible, then knead everything together until uniformly mixed.
- Shape the meatballs: Form the mixture into 15 oval-shaped meatballs, each about 65-70 grams. Place them on a large plate and refrigerate for about 1 hour to firm up and hold their shape.
- Sear the meatballs: Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a large skillet or non-stick frying pan. Sear the meatballs on both sides to get color, avoiding flipping or disturbing them before the first 4 minutes have passed. Use two forks to turn them gently.
- Drain excess oil: Transfer the seared meatballs to paper towels to absorb excess oil while preparing the sauce.
- Make the lemon sauce: In a sauté pan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula until the mixture turns sandy in color and smells like toasted flour.
- Add liquid and lemon juice: Slowly pour in the hot water or stock along with 6-8 tablespoons of lemon juice. Stir well to combine and form a smooth sauce.
- Simmer meatballs in sauce: Add the meatballs to the sauce and cover with a lid. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes, turning the meatballs once during cooking and scraping the pan bottom to prevent sticking. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning and lemon juice as desired.
- Serve: Serve the keftedes warm, garnished with freshly ground pepper and extra dried oregano on top.
Notes
- Adjust the lemon juice by adding it gradually; Greeks prefer their dishes very lemony, so start with 6-8 tablespoons and increase after tasting the sauce.
- Refrigerating the meatballs before cooking helps them hold their shape during searing and simmering.
- Use crustless bread soaked in white wine for softness and flavor; stale bread works well.
- Simmering the meatballs in the lemon sauce infuses them with bright citrus flavor while keeping them moist.
- Make sure to not disturb the meatballs too early during searing to form a good crust.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
