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Zakynthian Polpette

January 20, 2022Mama's recipes, Meat and 'kima'
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One bite of these tender polpette always has me dreaming of the stunning Greek island of Zakynthos. Traditionally, these polpette use a little ladotiri  (the famous olive oil cheese of Zakytnhos) in the mix for an extra layer of umami flavour. If you can’t get your hands on ladotiri, then your next best bet is using a really piquant sheep milk pecorino – which gives a really authentic taste to the polpette.

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Zakynthian Polpette

piquant meatballs from the Greek island of Zakynthos

Ingredients

  • 300 grams pork mince
  • 1 medium Potato Peeled and grated
  • 1 medium Onion grated
  • 1/2 cup Fresh bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated ladotiri or pecorino cheese
  • 1 Egg lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp chilli puree
  • 1/2 cup Fresh mint finely chopped
  • For the sauce:
  • 6-8 cloves Garlic roughly sliced and less if you prefer
  • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1.5 kg ripe tomatoes
  • 1 sprig fresh basil
  • sea salt to taste
  • chilli puree to taste

Instructions

  1. For the meatballs, mix all the ingredients by kneading them lightly for a few minutes. Don’t over mix or they will become tough. Using about 1 teaspoon of the mixture, shape into small ball and place on a lined baking tray in one layer. Set the meatballs aside in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
  2. Start to make the sauce. Wash the tomatoes and halve or quarter. Put them in a saucepan with a splash of water and let them simmer for a few minutes. Once the tomatoes have released a little liquid, remove from the heat. Place the tomatoes in a colander and push through with a wooden pestle (as mama does) or pass the tomatoes through a mouli. Place the extra virgin olive oil and garlic in a heavy based pot. Allow the garlic to become a little fragrant, but not burnt. Add the basil and fresh tomato puree. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and a little chilli puree to taste.
  3. Back to the meatballs, place a pan over medium to high heat. Add a little olive oil and let it heat for 1 minute. Add a few meatballs to the pan at a time. Brown them on both sides for about 5 minutes total. They will cook further in the sauce. When ready, remove from pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels so they can drain from any excess oil. Finally, add the meatballs to the tomato sauce while it simmers for around 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the meatballs are ready. Allow to rest for a little while and serve warm.

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About Kat

Welcome to Mulberry Pomegranate, a blog all about Greek food and lifestyle. I am an Australian girl who has married into a Greek-Australian family. This is my story of becoming (almost) Greek...

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Welcome

Καλώς ορίσατε! When Kat met her now husband at a New Year’s Eve party, little did she know how much it would change her life – especially the culinary aspects! Kat’s mother in law was a phenomenal talent in the kitchen; creating all of the classic Greek favourites but also regional dishes from her home Island of Zakynthos. Regretting not recording the recipes of her own Grandmother’s, Kat was not going to miss the opportunity to record the recipes and stories of her mother in law Sophia. Starting out as a personal project to document her family’s recipes, Mulberry Pomegranate has become a widely read guide to the Greek Mediterranean way of life. Read more 

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Spring is in the air and the freshly caught octopu Spring is in the air and the freshly caught octopus is at its  very best! 

Here is a super easy family recipe for grilled octopus the Greek way; lightly charred and left to soak in a gentle bath of lemon, extra virgin olive oil, smoked red pepper and aromatic oregano. 

Serve simply with good hortiatiko bread to soak up all the delicious dressing, and a little ouzo, with plenty of ice on the side and a little chilled water. 

You will need:

1 octopus, cleaned 
3 medium garlic cloves
A few cloves 
1 glass of white or rose wine 
Greek extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Greek Oregano (rigani) to taste 
Smoked red pepper flakes 
Juice of 1 – 2 lemons

Instructions

Place the clean octopus in a pot, add the garlic cloves, whole cloves, wine and olive oil. Cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. 

Remove from the pot, at this point you can remove the skin if desired and then cut into pieces.

Combine the extra virgin olive oil, rigani, smoked red pepper flakes and lemon juice. You can also add a little crushed garlic. Mix well and set aside.

Heat the barbecue on medium-high, before laying down the octopus pieces on the grill. Barbecue the octopus pieces on both sides until lightly charred. 

Add the octopus pieces to a serving bowl that contains the dressing and mix well. 

The octopus benefits from a good soak in the dressing before serving, but do make sure to serve while still warm. 

#greekoctopus #grilledoctopus #greekrecipes #greekfood #greekfamilyrecipes #seafoodrecipes #bluezoneskitchen #mediterraneandiet #greekmediterraneandiet #bluezonesrecipes
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#mediterraneandiet #mediterraneanfood #bluezoneskitchen #bluezonesrecipes #eattherainbow #springrecipes #springfood #meatfree #lunchideas #familyfood
… Καλό Πάσχα! Kalo Pascha! Happy Eas …

Καλό Πάσχα! 
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Happy Easter! 

And we’re ready for Easter! 

Wishing everyone who celebrates Easter this evening a joyful and blessed celebration!

#ΚαλόΠάσχα #KaloPascha #HappyEaster #KaliAnastasi #ΚαλήΑνάσταση #orthodoxeaster #greekeaster2024🇬🇷 #greekfood #greektraditions #greekfamily
Autumn under the olive and mulberry tree: With a Autumn under the olive and mulberry tree: 

With a picnic of wild herb pies, brandade (salt cod and garlic purée) & green olive tapenade on sourdough, home cured olives, the last of the summer cherry tomatoes, carrot and cumin salad; and pickled octopus.

#mediterraneandiet #bluezoneskitchen #bluezones #greekfood #provencalefood #autumnvibes
Mid week kalitsounia with celery, mint, spinach an Mid week kalitsounia with celery, mint, spinach and onion. A little feta, optional.

#greece #greekfood #greekodyssey #discovergreece #ilovegreece #greekmediterraneandiet #mediterraneandiet #bluezoneskitchen #bluezones #greekfood #greekfoodmadeeasy #greekfoodwithfriends #greekkitchen #kalitsounia #καλιτσούνια
Homemade cavatelli, from a simple semolina and war Homemade cavatelli, from a simple semolina and warm water pasta dough, with an even simpler garlicky tomato sauce. Kosta’s home-cured olives and a little sourdough on the side.
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#mediterraneandiet #mediterraneanfood #bluezoneskitchen #bluezonesrecipes #cavatelli #goodfriday #meatfreemeals #pastarecipes🍅🍆🍴🇮🇹 #homemade
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