When project Symon Says…Live To Cook is finished, I’m going to be suffering some serious post-partum.

Keftedes (Mom’s little meatballs)
Yield: approximately 20 keftedes
Adapted from Chef Michael Symon

1/2 cup minced or grated onion
1 clove garlic, smashed beneath the flat side of a knife and roughly chopped
Canola oil for pan frying
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 pound ground beef or lamb (I used one half pound of each)
1 large egg
1/2 cup diced day-old bread soaked in 1/2 cup of milk
1 teaspoon torn fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
All-purpose flour for dusting the meatballs
Garnish: leaves of fresh mint, zest of one lemon, extra virgin olive oil, one lemon cut into 8-10 wedges, and coarse salt.

Heat the canola oil in a small saute pan to medium heat. Sweat the onions, adding 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Once they’ve begun to soften, add the garlic (the garlic would cook too fast if you added in with the onion). Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent and the garlic has softened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer the contents to a plate and let cool.

In a bowl, combined the cooled onion mixture with the meat. Add the egg. Squeeze the bread out thoroughly (discard the soaking liquid), and add it along with the oregano, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and black pepper to taste. Thoroughly mix with your hands until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Taste the raw mixture or saute a bit in a pan to check for seasoning. Adjust and remix as needed.

Form into balls, about one ounce each or the size of a small golf ball. Roll them in the flour to lightly coat.

In a shallow pan, add enough enough canola oil to come up to about one third the height of the keftedes, and bring to medium heat. Gently pan fry the keftedes, allowing a nice exterior crust to develop, turning as needed until just cooked through but still moist inside. Remove the keftedes to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil.

Arrange on a serving platter with wedges of lemon to squeeze over them, along with any accompaniments such as feta cheese and olives. Grind some black pepper over them, tear fresh mint leaves onto them and finish with the grating of lemon zest and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of coarse salt.

” These are meant to be finger food, set out as an hors d’oeuvre”