Description
Keftedes in Lemon Sauce is a traditional Greek dish featuring juicy pork and beef meatballs flavored with herbs and spices, cooked in a tangy lemon butter sauce. Perfectly seared and simmered to absorb the vibrant sauce, these meatballs make a comforting and flavorful main course.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 200 grams ground pork
- 400 grams lean ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 100 grams crustless bread
- 125 ml white wine
- 100 grams minced onion (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 sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper plus extra for sauce
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
- Soak Bread: Tear the crustless bread into smaller pieces and soak it in the white wine for a couple of minutes until softened.
- Mix Meatball Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, lean ground beef, egg, minced onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add the soaked bread, crumbling it well, then knead the mixture until uniform and well combined.
- Shape Meatballs: Form the mixture into 15 oval-shaped meatballs, each weighing about 65-70 grams, and place them on a large plate. Refrigerate for about 1 hour to firm up and hold their shape.
- Sear Meatballs: Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a large skillet or non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Sear the meatballs, cooking undisturbed for 4 minutes to develop color, then carefully turn them using two forks to brown evenly on all sides. Transfer cooked meatballs to paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Prepare Sauce: In a sauté pan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spatula for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is sandy-colored and smells like toasted flour.
- Add Liquid: Gradually pour in the hot water or stock and lemon juice, stirring well to combine and create a smooth sauce. Start with 6-8 tablespoons lemon juice and adjust later to taste.
- Simmer Meatballs in Sauce: Add the seared meatballs to the sauce, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Turn meatballs once during cooking and scrape the pan bottom to prevent sticking. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs warm, topped with freshly ground pepper and extra dried oregano for garnish.
Notes
- Adjust lemon juice gradually; start with 6-8 tablespoons and add more after tasting to avoid overly sour sauce.
- Use crustless bread soaked in white wine to keep meatballs moist and tender.
- Refrigerating meatballs before cooking helps them hold their shape during searing and simmering.
- Use a gentle simmer and cover the pan to allow flavors to meld without drying out the meatballs.
- If preferred, substitute stock for water to enrich the sauce flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
