I was taught how to make this dish by my Cypriot landlady in Limassol. Her name was Stella and she firmly tucked me under her wing and taught me to cook the 'Cypriot Way'. You can serve these hot with a tomato sauce or cold with a Greek Salad and an ice cold glass of white wine. They are labour intensive but well worth it and when I make them then the family fight over them. The key to success in this recipe is to make sure everything is finely minced or chopped.
500 gms Finely Minced Pork. (Make sure it has some fat in it or the meatballs will be dry.)
1 large Onion , very finely chopped.
1 Large Potato
Medium Bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped.
Small bunch of Mint, finely chopped.
2 Cloves of Garlic Crushed
Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper - be generous.
2 Egg Yolks
Juice and Zest of 1 lemon
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Take a large bowl. Peel the potato and grate it. Squeeze all the water out and put the potato, lemon juice and zest into the bowl. (This will stop the potato turning brown.) The picture below shows you the grate size you will need.
Add the minced pork, then mix with your hands. Season with salt and pepper. Now add the garlic, onion, herbs and egg yolks. Mix thoroughly and season again until everything is evenly combined. At this stage you can cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight and use the mixture the next day. Use a tablespoon to mould meatballs about 1 inch in size. Heat enough oil to cover the meatballs in a heavy based pan. I usually only make these when I have some 'old' but usable frying oil because you cannot reuse the oil after making these. A cube of bread should sizzle when added to the oil. You are now ready to fry. Fry the meatballs in two batches. When the first batch of meatballs float to the surface, turn the heat down by a third and using a slotted spoon, gently turn them over. They should be a deep golden brown. Drain well on kitchen paper and remove any bits left in the oil with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the second batch. It is worth standing over these and watching them carefully because bitter experience has taught me that they can burn easily.
Now sit back and watch your family fight over them!
500 gms Finely Minced Pork. (Make sure it has some fat in it or the meatballs will be dry.)
1 large Onion , very finely chopped.
1 Large Potato
Medium Bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped.
Small bunch of Mint, finely chopped.
2 Cloves of Garlic Crushed
Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper - be generous.
2 Egg Yolks
Juice and Zest of 1 lemon
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Take a large bowl. Peel the potato and grate it. Squeeze all the water out and put the potato, lemon juice and zest into the bowl. (This will stop the potato turning brown.) The picture below shows you the grate size you will need.
Add the minced pork, then mix with your hands. Season with salt and pepper. Now add the garlic, onion, herbs and egg yolks. Mix thoroughly and season again until everything is evenly combined. At this stage you can cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight and use the mixture the next day. Use a tablespoon to mould meatballs about 1 inch in size. Heat enough oil to cover the meatballs in a heavy based pan. I usually only make these when I have some 'old' but usable frying oil because you cannot reuse the oil after making these. A cube of bread should sizzle when added to the oil. You are now ready to fry. Fry the meatballs in two batches. When the first batch of meatballs float to the surface, turn the heat down by a third and using a slotted spoon, gently turn them over. They should be a deep golden brown. Drain well on kitchen paper and remove any bits left in the oil with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the second batch. It is worth standing over these and watching them carefully because bitter experience has taught me that they can burn easily.
Now sit back and watch your family fight over them!
