Tomatokeftedes

 

Keftedes is the name that Greek meatballs take and therefore tomatokeftedes means meatballs or hamburgers made with tomato. 

They are typical of the island of Santorini. Santorini is an island famous for having happened on it, around 1600 BC, the largest explosion of volcanic origin that is remembered from the historical period. Such was the brutality of it that the tsunami that was generated devastated the nearby island of Crete and with it the Minoan civilization.

Santorini

The island - what remains of it - is obviously rich in volcanic substrates which, as in the Canaries, produces high quality vegetables, including tomatoes.

Tomatokeftedes combine tomatoes, onion and feta cheese without containing meat or eggs. They are usually eaten in mezze, a collection of various appetizers that, like Spanish tapas, can constitute a complete meal. The usual way to eat tomatokeféis is by dipping them in a tsatsiki sauce or directly in Greek yogurt.

INGREDIENTS :

• 4 ripe red tomatoes, large if possible
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) of feta cheese
• 1 large red onion
• 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced mint
• 50 grams (1.7 oz) of white wheat flour (about half a cup)
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

First we are going to peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds. We cut the remaining pulp into small cubes and salt them, leaving them in a colander or drainer for at least half an hour. In this way with the salt they will lose part of the water and the mixture that we will make later will not be liquid.

We grate the onion and mix it with the tomatoes. We add the aromatic herbs and the crumbled feta cheese. With our hands we make a first dough.

In a separate bowl we mix the flour with the yeast. When it is well mixed we take it to the bowl of tomatoes, onion and feta cheese and knead again, seasoning. When the dough is firm enough, we make slightly squashed balls. If it is not very firm we can add a little more flour.

In a deep frying pan we add a couple of fingers of oil and when it is hot we fry the keffi until they are golden brown. We deposit them on absorbent paper and ready to eat.

Surely it is a recipe that you make more than once!