🔗 Share this article

Keftedes me Prassa

Petite crispy fritters, often called keftedes, are a beloved delicacy in Jewish cooking. These wonderful leek croquettes present a flavorful combination of hearty beef with the delicate, sweetly mild essence of fresh leeks, rendering them truly addictive.

Makes 12

• 4 large leeks
• 250g ground beef meat
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
• 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• Oil, for pan-frying
• Lemon wedges, to garnish

Wash the leeks properly and remove the base and the majority of the dark green parts. Slice into halves longways then into 1.5cm rounds. Transfer in a deep pan and submerge with cold water, then simmer over a medium heat for about 20 mins or until cooked through.

Drain the softened leeks and place in a big bowl with the beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, chopped dill, chopped parsley and sweet paprika and flavor well with salt and pepper. Stir well using your hands then shape a few tablespoonfuls into a patty, pressing a slightly. Put on a tray and repeat for the remaining of the mixture.

Heat oil in a pan to a level of about 2 centimeters over a medium heat. When the heated oil is ready, brown the croquettes in small batches until crispy on each side. (Don't overcrowd the skillet as this drops the heat of the oil.) Transfer the cooked croquettes to a tray covered with kitchen paper and let to drain.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Keftes de Espinacha

These amazing spinach with cheese croquettes are a real treat. The crispy exterior gives way to a creamy center. The spinach adds a fresh, slightly green taste, while the grated cheese offers a deep, flavorful smoothness. It's possible to replace the cheesy element with boiled, mashed potato if you wish.

Makes 16–18

• 1kg fresh spinach (or else about 500g frozen spinach, thawed in the fridge in the fridge)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 100g salty cheese, shredded
• 80g creamy ricotta
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp paprika
• 120g dry breadcrumbs (1 and ¼ cups), with more if necessary
• 3 large eggs
• Oil for frying (or alternatively vegetable oil)
• Fresh lemon, to garnish

For leafy greens, rinse it thoroughly, removing any tough stems, and roughly chop it into big pieces. Put in a deep pan with a little water over a medium flame. Once softened, drain in a colander for about a quarter hour, then press out any extra water and reserve.

When working with defrosted spinach, thoroughly remove unwanted moisture.

Warm the cooking oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and saute the diced onion and minced garlic until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from the flame.

Place the prepared spinach, fried onion and softened garlic, kefalotyri, soft cheese, nutmeg, sweet paprika, breadcrumbs and eggs in a big mixing bowl and spice with pepper and salt. Combine thoroughly until blended. If the preparation looks too loose, mix in some more crumbs.

With your fingers, shape the mixture into elongated patties a bit bigger than a nut but smaller than an large egg, and set them on a tray covered with parchment paper. Wrap and cool for at least one hour.

In a large frying pan over medium flame, warm cooking oil to a level of about half an inch. Fry the croquettes a handful for a couple of minutes each side, flipping so they are golden everywhere, then transfer on kitchen roll.

Serve with lemon slices.

Lentil Croquettes

Featuring a crispy exterior and soft inside, these croquettes are not only flavorful but also a wonderfully wholesome bite or main course.

Produces 12

• 45g dried brown lentils (¼ cup)
• 90g bulgur wheat (½ cup)
• 125ml olive oil (half a cup)
• 1 onion, chopped small
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 egg
• Seasoning, to taste
• Yogurt and fresh lemon, to accompany

Place the brown lentils in a saucepan and submerge with ample water. Boil over a medium heat for about 20 minutes or until partially softened, pouring extra liquid to ensure the pulses submerged if required.

Mix in the burghul and keep cooking until fully cooked. Drain the lentils and burghul thoroughly and put aside in a mixing bowl.

Heat 50% of the