Meatballs with leeks and beets

MEATBALLS WITH LEEKS AND BEETS

Ingredients

1 bunch beets about 1.5 kg

1 kg of leeks

1 cup hot broth

2 large dry onions

5 cloves garlic

100 g. olive oil

Salt, pepper, oregano, savory

10 cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 piece of hot red chili pepper (in the size of a watermelon seed)

30 g. of feta cheese

350 g. ground beef

150 gr. minced pork

Preparing the materials

Beets

Cut the stalks from the bulbs. Separate the bulbs from their stalks and cut the leaves from the stems.

Keep the leaves to prepare stuffed dolmades.

You will use the stems and the bulbs in the meatballs.

Wash the stalks at least three waters to clean them thoroughly.

Cut them into pieces 2 cm in length each. Leave them aside for later use.

Rinse the bulbs well with water.

Clean each bulb as you clean an orange or an apple.

Remove the peel around it with a knife.

Rinse again the bulbs and cut them into thin slices.

Cut each slice into smaller pieces.

Leave them aside to use later.

Leeks

Take each leek separately and remove its dried outer leaves.

Three outer leaves are usually dry and those undernith them are tender.

The white part of the leeks is tender.

The green leaves are hard to the edges and therefore cut and discard them.   

Use only the white part of leeks and the tender part of the green leaves.

Cut each leek in half lengthwise.

Cut again into pieces 2 cm in length.

Fill a large bowl of water and pour into it  the chopped leeks.

Wash them 3 times and leave them aside.

Meatballs

Put in a bowl the ground beef, the minced pork, some salt and knead those for some time.

Add pepper, oregano, savory and half of the grated coriander and knead again.

Pour 2 TB of olive oil over the minced and knead again.

Put on your palm a piece of meat smaller than a walnut.

Conjure into your palms one small meatball.

Continue this way until you make meatballs from all the minced.

Put the meatballs in a low pan and place it in the fridge until you need it.

Implementation

Put a pot with ceramic coating over medium heat.

Pour into it the olive oil.

Clean the onions and mince them into the pot.

Scour garlic and mince it into the pot.

Stir them and sauté until tender.

Add the leeks and stir.

Let leeks to sauté briefly.

Add the meatballs and let them brown in a casserole two minutes.

Add the chopped stalks and the cut beets bulbs.

Let all these ingredients to simmer a few minutes.

Stir gently so the meatballs will not disperse.

Add the broth or boiling water, if you do not have broth.

Add the rest of the coriander and the seeds and cumin.

Leave the food to simmer until all the ingredients are soft and tender.

Rub with your fingers the feta cheese and break it into small pieces.

Pour feta into the casarole.

 Leave the food to boil for two minutes and then turn off the heat.