Tomatokeftedes recipe: Greek tomato fritters from Santorini
Anastasia Miari’s recipes are inspired by some of Greece’s best and most formidable cooks: the grandmothers.
The food writer travelled around the country to learn straight from these culinary encyclopaedias, as each yiayia, or granny, walked her through traditional regional and family recipes, sharing the tried-and-tested techniques that can only be achieved by a lifetime of cooking for loved ones. Her book Yiayia: Time-perfected Recipes from Greece’s Grandmothers delves into the kitchens of these matriarchs to share their stories and recipes.
This recipe for tomatokeftedes, or Greek tomato fritters, was passed on by yiayia Evangelia. Hailing from Santorini, it rivals the idyllic island’s signature blue domes for beauty, packed with juicy tomatoes and fragrant herbs.
Though you may not have access to the ruby-red tomatoes that thrive in the island’s volcanic soil, Anastasia recommends finding the best, and ripest, possible.
“When you’re shopping for produce for this dish, ensure you sample the tomatoes and choose ones in season, with plenty of flavour,” she says.
For US ingredients and measurements, use the drop-down menu and select ‘Cups’.
Ingredients
- 500 g cherry tomatoes off the vine
- 3 red onions, roughly chopped
- 100 g spearmint (about 2 large bunches), leaves finely chopped
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp fine table salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 300 ml water
- 500 g plain flour
- 300 ml sunflower oil
- 1 spoonful Greek yogurt mixed with chopped dill, to serve
- 17.6 oz cherry tomatoes off the vine
- 3 red onions, roughly chopped
- 3.5 oz spearmint (about 2 large bunches), leaves finely chopped
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp fine table salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 10.6 fl oz water
- 17.6 oz plain flour
- 10.6 fl oz sunflower oil
- 1 spoonful Greek yogurt mixed with chopped dill, to serve
- 17.6 oz cherry tomatoes off the vine
- 3 red onions, roughly chopped
- 3.5 oz spearmint (about 2 large bunches), leaves finely chopped
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp fine table salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1.3 cups water
- 17.6 oz all-purpose flour
- 1.3 cups sunflower oil
- 1 spoonful Greek yogurt mixed with chopped dill, to serve
Details
- Cuisine: Greek
- Recipe Type: Vegetarian
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 15 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Put the tomatoes into a large bowl, roll up your sleeves and crush them in the bowl by hand. You want to see the juice pop from inside the tomatoes.
- Add the red onions and mix in by hand, followed by the chopped spearmint leaves. Mix in the basil, salt and pepper by hand.
- Once everything is combined, pour in the water, followed by the flour. Mix by hand until the flour becomes wet and is combined with the tomato mixture.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a dry, non-stick, deep frying pan (skillet) over high heat for 1 minute until you can drop a tiny amount of your mix into the oil, and it begins to rapidly sizzle.
- Drop a level tablespoon of the tomato mixture into the hot oil. Cook three or four tomatokeftedes at a time, depending on how many tablespoons of the mix can fit into your pan. You want space between each one so they don’t stick together and become clumps.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes on one side, then use a spoon to lift from the underside, turn the tomatokeftedes over, and fry for a further 1-2 minutes until they are crisp and reddish-brown. The frying time will become faster as the oil heats up, so check the undersides to ensure they aren’t burning.
- Remove the tomatokeftedes with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve with Greek yogurt and dill for dipping.
Recipe adapted from Yiayia: Time-perfected Recipes from Greece’s Grandmothers By Anastasia Miari (£27, Hardie Grant). Photography by Marco Arguello.
Yiayia: Time-perfected Recipes from Greece’s Grandmothers By Anastasia Miari
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