Meatballs With Walnut Sauce

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Walnuts inform much of the Sephardic cooking of Thessaloniki. This meatball with walnut sauce recipe called Keftes de Nogada is surprisingly simple yet a very delicious and satisfying way to serve one of the world’s great comfort foods. It is a classic of Thessaloniki’s Sephardic community.

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Meatballs With Walnut Sauce

By Diane Kochilas

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Servings

Ground Meat, Macedonia & Thrace, Main Courses, Recipes, Season #4

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Servings

Ground Meat, Macedonia & Thrace, Main Courses, Recipes, Season #4

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds 750 g lean ground beef
3 bread slices
1 small onion finely grated
1 egg
Extra virgin Greek olive oil as needed
2 cups of flour, or as needed for dredging the meatballs
3 cups of water
3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
3 cups breadcrumbs or grated rusks
1 and ¾ cup 200 g shelled walnuts, coarsely ground
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Cut away the crusts and soak the bread in water for a few seconds. Squeeze dry and crumble. In a large mixing bowl combine the ground meat, dampened, squeezed breadcrumbs, grated onion, egg and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper and knead well.
Shape the meat mixture into balls, about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Spread flour onto a large flat plate, season it lightly with salt and pepper, and lightly dredge the meatballs in the seasoned flour.
Heat 3 inches of olive oil or other oil such as canola or corn oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat and slide the meatballs into the hot oil. Fry them gently, turning once or twice with a spatula or kitchen tongs to brown on all sides.
In a separate pan combine water, parsley, breadcrumbs, walnuts and 1 cup of olive oil and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs to the walnut-parsley broth and gently stir. Season with salt and pepper.
Let them simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens further and is the consistency of loose oatmeal. Serve warm.

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Diane Kochilas is one of the world’s foremost experts on Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. She is the host, creator and co-producer of My Greek Table, the award-winning 13-episode per season cooking-travel show about Greece that airs nationally on Public Television. The series is in its third season.

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Meatballs With Walnut Sauce