For me, Greek treats are a fond memory of days living in Astoria, N.Y., and my Aegean Island visits, including Santorini, with the lovely Linda A. I dove the caldera, ate plates of fava beans with octopus that was tenderized right on the sidewalk, and washed it all down with a local retsina. That, my friends, is Greek heaven – without the bow to Zeus and Hera.
I tried so many great edible treasures uncovered from the Grecian sands and seas. Some of the sweetest uni I ever had was on the Island of Aegina. Crispy fried sardines on the painfully pebbled Red Beach. And herbaceously scented keftedes with tzatziki sauce was a superb pairing I often savored, including one particularly memorable time on Crete during a 15-course meal. That combo is one of my favorites!
(SID HOELTZELL © MIAMI 2022)
The gathering of the ingredients.
Astoria, a long-established enclave in the New York City borough of Queens, has the biggest Greek population outside Athens, Greece, and I had a great year there. Buying fresh feta from a 5-gallon tin can – what a perk! Though one must make sure the vendor allows the water to drip out before weighing. Baklava that would put a five-pound smile on your face while adding five pounds to your ass. That’s why moderation before overindulgence has always been one of my creeds. Fresh, non-commercial “deli store” yogurt made from a culture started by an Athenian vendor that can make any Chobani fan think twice (but I like their stuff, too, and used it in the recipe I’m sharing with you here).
(SID HOELTZELL © MIAMI 2022)
Clean all herbs of sticks, stems or seeds.
As I have often written, when preparing my meals, I always take the time to honor my ingredients. I’m all about properly de-waxing cucumbers, trimming sandy spots off my tubers and clipping all the not so pretty stuff from the veggies to zone in on the buds of flavor. No brown marks, no wilts and no sticks, stems or seeds. I hope you children of the ’60s remember that from when you were using your Santana album to roll doobies.
Stems and cucumber seeds just don’t favor a fine tzatziki flavor and texture. This wisdom comes from experience and consideration for elevating the quality of the simplest of sauces. Take the extra step and you will agree with me. That also applies to prepping the herbs for the keftedes. That nub on the end of the garlic is just not necessary for taste. Cleaning and preening comprise my culinary path to the words “Holy #@%$ these taste insane!”
How did I learn this? I often ask people in the checkout line about their purchases and go-to recipes for creating superb meals. So many great convos begin that way! And I ask about the meals I eat when dining out anywhere on the planet. How else can one learn? With such a plethora of recipe information out there, and the social media explosion of foodie photographers, learning a new tip is just sharing and caring.
(SID HOELTZELL © MIAMI 2022)
Garlic is used best when pressed, not chopped.
Adding milk when boiling corn, 90 seconds nuking a 2 1/2″-thick salmon steak before grilling it, letting your meat rest properly before cutting it … this accumulation of tips helps me get the point across to you – so I hope you’re still smellin’ what I’m tellin’.
CHEF SID’S KEFTEDES WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE
Servings/yield: This is a recipe for four, with leftovers for tomorrow’s Netflix binge time.
Prepare but don’t cook your keftedes mixture the day before and refrigerate overnight for the best infusion of flavors.
INGREDIENTS
Keftedes:
· 1/4 cup fresh oregano, thoroughly cleaned and finely chopped, no stems
· 1/2 cup fresh parsley, thoroughly cleaned and finely chopped
· 1/4 cup fresh mint, thoroughly cleaned and finely chopped
· 3-4 scallions/green onion, thoroughly cleaned and finely sliced
· 5-6 garlic cloves, finely crushed
(SID HOELTZELL © MIAMI 2022)
The herbed meat before mixing.
· 1 pound lean ground sirloin
· 1 pound ground pork – fat is functional, and you can substitute ground lamb for if that’s your preference
· 1 egg
· 1/2 cup spiced panko crumbs
· Quality virgin olive oil
Tzatziki Sauce:
· 1 very long cucumber or 2 shorties
· 2 cups plain Greek-style yogurt – drain any top liquid that’s separated
· 1/2 cup thoroughly cleaned dill weed, chopped
· 1/4 cup fresh mint, thoroughly cleaned and shredded
(SID HOELTZELL © MIAMI 2022)
A well-combined conglomeration of two meats, panko crumbs, one egg and all those great spices.
· 3 cloves garlic, pressed and crushed into a schmear
· 1/2 small onion shredded into paste using a kitchen grater – watch your fingers!
· Juice of 1/2 lemon
· Fine zest of one lemon
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 tablespoon quality virgin olive oil
PREPARATION
· In large bowl, combine oregano, parsley, mint, scallions, garlic, beef, lamb, egg and breadcrumbs; refrigerate at least one hour or overnight, the better option.
· Form keftedes mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs or – my preference – small discs.
· Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and fry meatballs (or discs) until brown and crispy; rest cooked meatballs on paper towel-lined platter to drain grease while prepping tzatziki.
(SID HOELTZELL © MIAMI 2022)
A well-combined conglomeration of two meats, panko crumbs, one egg and all those great spices.
· To make tzatziki, split and deseed cucumber(s), leaving skin on; then work through a kitchen grater using its largest holes.
· Place shredded cucumber in paper towels and squeeze hard to remove water; repeat twice – too much water left in the cuke makes for a too-thin sauce!
· In large mixing bowl, add shredded cucumber and all other ingredients and mix well; chill and let rest – a great tzatziki sauce is thick and stiff.
· Plate still warm keftedes and chilled tzatziki, drizzling some olive oil over the sauce, if desired. I also like to place fresh figs on the side.
· Dig in and enjoy your culinary cruise to the Greek Isles … Opa!
Sid Hoeltzell is an award-winning Miami-based commercial food and beverage photographer and former “MasterChef” contestant. He has completed more than 450 commissioned works for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, teaches food photography seminars and is a preferred fine art photographer for Christie’s, Sotheby’s and private collections.
1 of 3
(SID HOELTZELL © MIAMI 2022)
The rest of the recipe
For the tzatziki sauce, split cucumber in half and scrape out all the seeds, leaving the skin on.
2 of 3
(SID HOELTZELL © MIAMI 2022)
The rest of the recipe
A pile of shredded cucumber prior to giving it a good squeeze to remove excess water.
3 of 3
(SID HOELTZELL © MIAMI 2022)
The rest of the recipe
Prepping the tzatziki sauce before mixing well.