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Greek turkey keftedes and tzatziki
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Ingredients
Turkey keftedes:
- 900 grams ground turkey
- 1 medium onion, grated on the coarse side of a cheese grater
- 2 cloves garlic, pushed through a garlic press
- 1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup bread crumbs (add more if the mixture is too sticky)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon high quality Greek oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Tzatziki:
- 2 x 750 milliliters containers of Balkan-style yogurt
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, grated on coarse side of a cheese grater
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves of garlic, pushed through a garlic press
- Salt to taste
Directions
TURKEY KEFTEDES:
- Put all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix by hand until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Place a small bowl of lukewarm water nearby when you are ready to shape the meat into patties.
- Grease a large baking dish with a coating of extra virgin olive oil.
- Wet your hands. Take a small ball of meat (roughly three heaping tablespoons in size) and knead it into a ball. Form it into a patty and place it on the baking tray. Ensure that your keftedes are the same size so that they cook through at the same time.
- Once you have finished forming all of your patties, drizzle a bit of extra olive oil on the top and bottom of them.
- Bake in the oven at 375 F for approximately 10-12 minutes per side or until cooked through. You can also barbeque the keftedes. Be sure to brown both sides of the patties regardless of the cooking method.
- Small-sized keftedes may be wrapped in a warmed Greek-style pita with tzatziki (see recipe below) and thinly sliced onions and tomatoes. If you prefer, you can make burger-sized patties and serve them in a burger bun with any toppings you like. They are delicious either way!
TZATZIKI:
- To strain the yogurt, line a strainer with cheesecloth. Put the strainer inside a large bowl and pour the yogurt into it. Place it inside the fridge, covered. Allow the yogurt to strain for at least 24 hours, though 48 hours is ideal to remove as much liquid as possible from the yogurt. Be sure to check the water and discard it a few times while it is straining.
- After the yogurt has been strained, place it in a bowl.
- Grate the peeled cucumber on the coarse side of a cheese grater. Squeeze excess water out of the cucumber with your hands. Try to remove as much liquid as possible. Add the strained cucumber to the tzatziki bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir with a spoon until all of the ingredients are well incorporated into a rich, thick, creamy dip.
- Tzatziki complements any grilled meat, fish or seafood, and may be eaten with bread any time of day!
Shortcut: You can make this with a 750 milliliter tub of Greek yogurt. It will likely not be as thick as if you strained the yogurt yourself, but it’s still a great timesaver.
