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Keftedes me Prassa

Small crispy patties, commonly known as keftedes, represent a beloved delicacy in Jewish culinary traditions. These wonderful leek fritters offer a tasty combination of savory ground beef with the gentle, mildly sweet taste of leeks, and they are utterly irresistible.

Produces 12

• 4 fresh leeks
• 250g minced beef meat
• 2 fresh eggs
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp dill, diced
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• ½ tsp paprika
• Oil, for cooking
• Lemon wedges, to accompany

Wash the fresh leeks properly and trim off the roots and the bulk of the green stalk. Slice into halves longways then into 1.5cm pieces. Place in a deep pan and submerge with fresh water, then cook over a medium heat for about 20 minutes or until tender.

Remove the water from the softened leeks and put in a large mixing bowl with the beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, dill, flat-leaf parsley and spice and flavor generously with seasoning. Stir thoroughly using your fingers then mold a several tablespoonfuls into a patty, pressing a little. Put on a platter and proceed for the rest of the ingredients.

Heat cooking oil in a skillet to a depth of about 2 centimeters over a medium heat. When the oil is ready, fry the patties in batches until golden brown on both sides. (Don't overcrowd the frying pan as this reduces the temperature of the cooking oil.) Take out the finished croquettes to a dish topped with absorbent paper and allow to drain.

Offer with lemon wedges.

Keftes de Espinacha

These spinach with cheese croquettes are a real delight. The golden exterior opens up to a soft center. The spinach adds a bright, somewhat natural taste, while the grated cheese offers a deep, umami smoothness. It's possible to replace the dairy cheese with boiled, mashed potato if you like.

Produces 16–18

• 1kg baby spinach (alternatively about 500g frozen leaf spinach, softened in the fridge in the refrigerator)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin oil
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 2 garlic pieces, crushed
• 100g kefalotyri, grated finely
• 80g ricotta
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• 120g crumbs (1 and ¼ cups), plus extra if needed
• 3 large eggs
• Oil for pan-frying (or use neutral oil)
• Fresh lemon, to accompany

If using leafy greens, rinse it well, discarding any hard stems, and roughly chop it into big pieces. Transfer in a large saucepan with a bit of liquid over a moderate heat. Once cooked, drain in a strainer for about 15 mins, then remove any remaining moisture and put aside.

When working with defrosted spinach, completely squeeze out excess liquid.

Preheat the olive oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat and saute the chopped onion and garlic until translucent, about four minutes. Take off the heat.

Put the wilted spinach, fried onion and garlic, grated cheese, soft cheese, spice, sweet paprika, dry crumbs and eggs in a big mixing bowl and flavor with seasoning. Combine completely until combined. If the mixture appears too wet, mix in some more breadcrumbs.

With your fingers, form the dough into oval croquettes a bit bigger than a walnut shell but less bulky than an chicken egg, and place them on a plate topped with wax paper. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes.

In a big skillet over medium flame, warm cooking oil to a depth of about 1 centimeter. Brown the patties a small batch for 2–3 minutes on both sides, turning so they are crispy everywhere, then put on absorbent paper.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Lentil Croquettes

Featuring a crispy exterior and soft inside, these fritters are not only flavorful but also a extremely healthy snack or dish.

Yields 12

• 45g brown lentils (one-quarter cup)
• 90g burghul (0.5 cup)
• 125ml olive oil (0.5 cup)
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley, diced
• 1 large egg
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Greek yoghurt and lemon wedges, to garnish

Add the brown lentils in a pan and submerge with enough cold water. Simmer over a medium flame for about twenty minutes or until nearly done, pouring more water to ensure the pulses submerged if needed.

Stir in the bulgur wheat and continue cooking until tender. Drain the mixture well and set aside in a container.

Warm 50% of the