Our Big Fat Greek Cooking Class Recipes: Hummus and Greek Meatballs

Originally posted July 17, 2009

The following recipes are not mine. They were learned by my aunt Jamie when she was in Greece recently. She wrote them and I edited them. She taught the cooking class that we entitled, "Our Big, Fat Greek Cooking Class." The class was sold out and everyone enjoyed the food. Here are her recipes.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

1 can Bush’s Best garbanzo beans
1 head garlic, roasted and squeezed out
1/3 cup Tahini
½ cup plain yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Several dashes cayenne pepper
4 Tbls olive oil
½ tsp. cumin (or more to taste


To roast garlic:
Do not peel; leave the entire head together, but cut off the top. Drizzle with olive oil and put in garlic baker or custard cup covered with foil. Bake at 225 for an hour or until soft. Let cool and squeeze the pulp out of each clove.

Rinse beans in strainer. Process a few pulses. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings. A nice presentation is to serve the hummus in a flat bowl, sprinkled with paprika and drizzled with olive oil. Some assorted olives are a nice addition to the plate. Brush flatbread (pita bread) with olive oil and toast it on a griddle. Cut into wedges and serve with hummus for dipping.


Greek Tzatziki Sauce

2 cups Greek style yogurt
1 English cucumber, seeded, chopped finely and water squeezed out
3 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
2 tbls McCormick Greek Seasoning2 tbls olive oil
2 tbls lemon juice or white wine vinegar
Salt to taste


There are two key steps to making tzatziki so it will not be runny and watery: First, if you cannot find Greek-style yogurt, strain regular plain yogurt over a bowl in a strainer lined with coffee filters or cheesecloth for several hours or overnight. It will reduce by at least half. Second, cucumbers have a lot of water in them, so chop them very finely, sprinkle them with salt, then roll them in a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.

I like the taste and texture of English cucumbers, but regular cucumbers will do
just fine. Cut the cucumbers in half and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for several hours or overnight to develop best flavor.

Keftethes: Greek Meatballs

2 lbs ground pork
8 slices French bread, soaked in water and then drained
2 eggs
1 onion chopped very finely
2 tbls dried mint
2 tbls dried oregano
2 tbls dried parsley
1 tsp salt


Combine all ingredients---I used latex gloves and mix with my hands. Roll into balls about the size of a walnut, or make into patties. Fry in ¾” vegetable oil at 375 degrees or medium high heat, turning once. At some point they will start getting really loud---you’re on the right track! They will also turn almost black---this is a good thing! Drain on paper towel-lined jelly roll pan. Serve immediately or store. To reheat place in an oven until warm or serve at room temperature.