TOMATO BALLS (TOMATOKEFTEDES)
makes approx. 24
- 2 lbs. of cherry tomatoes or ripe tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 1/2 c. mint
- 2 c. flour
- 2/3 c. grated kefalotyri cheese ( good luck finding that) or pecorino
- salt & pepper to taste
- Olive oil for frying
Remove seeds from the tomatoes. Finely chop the tomatoes, onion & mint. Put the veggies & mint in a large bowl, along with the cheese. Give them a good stir to bring everything together. Taste the mixture for salt & pepper.
Take the bowl of veggies & begin to add the flour, a little at a time. Keep adding the flour until the mixture becomes thick like paste. Let the mixture sit for 1 hour or more before frying.
Heat the oil in pan. When the oil is hot, drop two tables of mixture (to make one ball) into the oil. Fry until lightly golden. Do not make them brown. They should be slightly golden & red. Place them on paper towel to drain off excess oil. Serve alone or with some taztziki (yogurt & cucumber dip).
*DIVA NOTE: Although they are call tomato balls, every time I’ve eaten them they were disc. It looked like they were just dropped into the hot oil. You decide. Also, if they stick to your hands, put flour on them or gently pat flour on the tomatokeftedes before frying.
(Recipe by Chef Dimitris Lazarou from Santorini)
