makes 4 to 6 meze servings
Lesvos, Greece’s third largest island, is one of my favorite places. The island’s natural environment overflows with wildlife. Over a million olive trees blanket the island; Lesvos’s rich natural flora and plankton-rich bays and coves have been renowned since antiquity.
The philosopher Aristotle was so moved by the island’s rich flora and teeming waters that he wrote one of the world’s first masterpieces of natural history there, inspiring Darwin thousands of years later.
Lesvos found itself in the eye of the European migration crisis, inundated with thousands of refugees who washed up on its shores from the war-torn Middle East as they made their way across the Aegean from the coast of Turkey.
Indeed, the island’s proximity to Turkey has shaped its long history, and food is part of that. During the final throes of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, the Greek army, with the blessing of the British, invaded Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) to help liberate the four million Greeks who had been living there since ancient times. Two million were killed, and two million fled. Thousands settled in Lesvos, revitalizing the local economy and cuisine. With them came a rich, urbane, aromatic cooking style and a love for the eggplant, for which Lesvos claims at least twenty-two unique local recipes.
I first tried these eggplant keftedes in Molyvos at the family home of my good friend Nick Livanos, where they were prepared by Nick’s cousin Maria, a fabulous cook.
5 Japanese or other long eggplant variety, each about 6 inches (15 cm) long
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1½ cups (150 g) grated aged myzithra or Kefalotyri cheese (see Note)
1 heaping tablespoon dried Greek oregano
1 cup (50 g) chopped fresh mint
3 to 4 tablespoons sour trahana (see here) or fine bulgur wheat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 8 tablespoons (15 to 50 g) plain dried bread crumbs, as needed
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, or more as needed, for dredging
Olive or vegetable oil, for frying (see Note)
Bring a pot of water to a boil and season it with salt. Trim and peel the eggplants. Add them to the boiling water, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook the eggplants until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well. Transfer to a large bowl.
Mash the eggplant with a fork and add the egg, grated cheese, oregano, mint, and 3 tablespoons of the trahana. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs judiciously, starting with a couple of tablespoons and adding more only if the mixture is loose and needs help holding its shape. You can also add the remaining 1 tablespoon trahana.
Shape 1 tablespoon of the eggplant mixture into a patty about 1½ inches (4 cm) in diameter. Place it on a platter or baking sheet(s) and repeat with the remaining eggplant mixture. Refrigerate the patties for 30 minutes to help firm them up even more.
Place 1 cup (125 g) of the flour on a flat dish. In a large deep skillet, heat 2 inches (5 cm) of olive oil over medium-high heat. Test the heat with a small cube of bread: when tossed into the oil, it should sizzle and brown lightly; remove and discard the test cube. Working in batches, lightly dredge the eggplant patties in the flour and, using a spatula or slotted spoon, slide them into the hot oil, being careful not to crowd the pan. Fry until lightly browned on one side, then flip them carefully and cook until lightly browned on the other side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the patties to a paper towel–lined plate. Repeat with the remaining patties, replenishing the frying oil if necessary. Serve immediately.
NOTE: You can use any other hard grating cheese, such as regato or pecorino, or a combination of crumbled feta and Kefalograviera cheeses.
NOTE: You can also bake the patties: Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape and refrigerate the patties as above. Place them on the prepared baking sheets and bake, turning once to brown on both sides, for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through and golden. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and serve.
ARTICHOKE HEART KEFTEDES: This is a recipe from the opposite side of Greece, Lefkada, in the Ionian Sea. Follow the recipe as above, but replace the eggplant with 10 large artichoke hearts (you can use defrosted frozen ones or good-quality canned artichoke hearts in olive oil, drained) and omit the trahana, using extra bread crumbs as needed.