Pork Keftedes with Greek Salad & Homemade Flatbread

We dug another old favorite from Plated out of the archive last night and I just have to share. This Greek meatball dish is amazing!

2 tomatoes, divided
1/2 English cucumber (or 2 of the small size)
1/8 oz parsley, divided
1 lemon
olive oil
1 red onion, divided*
1 spice mix (1/8 tsp each cinnamon, coriander & cumin, 1/4 tsp each dried mint & dried oregano)
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs (I use Panko)
1 egg
salt & pepper
10 oz ground pork*
2 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 c flour, divided
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 c milk
tzatziki sauce, if desired*

Preheat oven to 425F. Rinse all produce. Cut the tomatoes into 1/2″ dice; finely chop 1/4 of of the cut tomatoes (leaving the remainder in 1/2″ dice for making the salad). Quarter or half the cucumber lengthwise (depending on size), then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Rough chop the parsley leaves. Halve the lemon. Peel the onion & cut into small dice.

In a large bowl, combine spice mix, breadcrumbs, the finely chopped tomato, 1 Tbsp of the onion, egg, 1/2 tsp salt & pepper; add the pork. Using your hands, mix well & then form into 10 equal balls, about 2″. Arrange meatballs on a foil-lined baking sheet, spacing apart as much as possible. Bake until cooked through & slightly browned, about 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper. Add feta, cucumber, remaining diced tomato, half the parsley, and remaining onion. Toss to combine & set aside to marinate.

Reserve 1 tsp flour in a small bowl & set aside. In a separate medium bowl, combine baking powder, 1/3 c milk, remaining flour, remaining parsley, and 1/8 tsp salt. Stir vigorously until combined & a dough begins to form. Sprinkle reserved flour onto a clean, dry surface; turn out the dough and knead until soft & pliable, about 2-3 minutes. Divide into 2 equal pieces.

Using a rolling pin or your hands, roll & stretch dough into circular shape, about 1/4″ thick. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add dough, one disc at a time. Cook, working in batches, if needed, and adding oil as needed, until golden — 3-4 minutes. Flip, reduce heat to medium, and cook until dough is cooked through — another 3-4 minutes.

Transfer flatbreads, pork keftedes, and Greek salad to serving plates.

*NOTES: Ground pork typically comes in 1-lb packages, so I make 16 one-ounce meatballs. I don’t really adjust anything else. Red onion is strong, so we use far, FAR less than one whole onion… I don’t think we use even 1/4. Your mileage may vary. We have also found that adding some tzatziki sauce to the plate is excellent — it’s become a must when we serve this dish!

Simple Tzatziki Sauce

4 oz Greek yogurt
1 cucumber
salt & pepper

Coarsely grate cucumber; place between paper towels to remove moisture.

In a small bowl, combine yogurt, grated cucumbers, and season generously with salt & pepper.

This is a super-simple & pared down tzatziki sauce that works great with this recipe — feel free to add some garlic, lemon juice, if desired.