Editor’s Note
Posted on July 31, 2013 by bob in EdNote
As a child, we had patches of mint growing wild in the flower beds around our house. I thought everyone did. The same was true for basil, fennel, parsley, and dill. Aromatic herbs, they add a unique, unmistakeable taste to a variety of dishes, from stuffed tomatoes to rice pilaf. One, in particular, made my grandmother’s meatballs legendary.
Ask any of her nine grandchildren what dish they most remember from “Yiayia’s” kitchen and it’s a good bet each will answer “kef-teh’-thes,” otherwise known as meatballs. From the time I was tall enough to peer over my grandmother’s shoulder (she was barely five feet) I remember watching as she prepared this flavorful dish.
Though similar in size, these were different from the meatballs of spaghetti fame. Rolled in flour and pan-fried to a golden brown, these biscuit-sized balls of ground beef were served as an entrée, without pasta or even a sauce. Delicious at dinner, they were just as wonderful as leftovers, cold from the refrigerator. As the oldest granddaughter and the one always underfoot, I delighted in watching Yiayia’s precisioned process.
Placing a large bowl in one side of the sink, she added ground beef, a raw egg, and a grated onion, always in the same order. Mesmerized, I watched as my grandmother cut the ends off two slices of white bread, dampened what was left with water, and tore the bread remnants into pieces, dropping them into the bowl. Next came salt, pepper, ground garlic, and a little water. After kneading the mixture with her hands to assure everything was well-blended, Yiayia added the piéce de resistance: fresh, chopped mint from the garden.
I didn’t realize the significance of that last, simple ingredient until many years later, as an adult in my own kitchen. Attempting to duplicate my grandmother’s success, I dutifully followed all the steps from memory – unintentionally forgetting the last one – and was dismayed at the lackluster results. Definitely not the meatballs of my childhood.
A light bulb went off when I finally remembered the mint. Dashing quickly to to the grocery I purchased packaged, fresh mint clippings and carefully added them to the mixture. Eureka, what a difference! Thrilled, I realized mint was my Rosetta Stone. It unlocked the zesty secret of the “keftethes” and at least a half-dozen other dishes I loved, but had never cooked to my liking.
I still prepare my grandmother’s meatballs, but no longer rush to the grocery for packages of mint. Though it took a while, mint now grows wild in my yard too – along with a tasty treasure trove of other herbs, secret ingredients for the dishes my family seems to love the most.
Don’t miss this month’s story by Janet Adams on the “The Lure and Love of Herbs” (page 16). If you’re an herb fan, or even if you’ve yet to be bitten by the herb bug, Janet offers engaging details on the value and significance of these unheralded household heroes.
Have a great month!
Editor Sandra Polizos
