Greek Meatballs

A Greek inspired meatball sandwich! Let's face it meatballs are always a hit and sometimes you just gotta change it up. Why not add some of the flavours of Greece to your next batch. You get some spinach into the family even if they are haters. I promise they will eat it this way! 

You will need:

*makes 28-30 meatballs.

• 8oz bag of baby spinach - cooked, squeezed of water and chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pound ground beef (of course you could use lamb if you like here)
• 3 oz feta cheese
• 2 tbsp - chopped variety of fresh dill, parsley, basil and mint (I like lots of basil and parsley and a bit less of dill and mint)
• 3-4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil (minced fine)
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp great extra virgin olive oil (I used Mandranova Nocellara)
• 1 slice of bread soaked in 1/4 cup milk (any kind of milk and bread)
• 2 cloves garlic - minced fine
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt and pepper (each)
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• soft squishy buns
• your favourite marinara sauce - it can be as simple as crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, salt and pepper and some fresh basil.

Step 1: Take a bag of washed baby lettuce and add to a large pot with some water.

Step 2: cover with a lid and let spinach cook on high heat for maybe 3-4 minutes until spinach wilts down to a small amount.

Step 3: invest in a small amount of good quality ground beef. I really feel it is far better to eat a smaller amount of good quality local beef than larger amounts of lesser quality.

Step 4: drain and squeeze your spinach in a clean tea towel or paper towels to remove most of the liquid.

Step 5: take some good quality GREEK feta cheese (I really think the domestic feta is not as good and almost a completely different product)  and some fresh herbs and chop finely.

Step 6: chop your drained and squeezed spinach and add all remaining ingredients (except the buns to serve the meatballs on!) and mix with your hands.

Step 7: form into equal sized meatballs -I use a small ice cream scoop but feel free to use your hands if you prefer.

Step 8: prepare a simple marinara sauce. I make mine by starting with a generous glug of great extra virgin olive oil, some slices of garlic, some chili flakes, salt and pepper and then add a can of crushed tomatoes (San Marzano if possible because they really do make a difference in taste) Taste and adjust as necessary. Add a few fresh basil leaves. Cook 15 minutes.

Step 9: you can fry the meatballs first or just toss them into the sauce to cook. Once done. Get the squishy rolls.

You can always add some feta crumbles on top to take it to the next level or just devour them as they are! YAMAS!!