Keftedes stuffed with cheese

I don't have to be Greek to love and cook Greek food right? In fact, the Greek love to eat, who doesn't? I remember the first time I went to Greece, it was long time ago, maybe 10 years ago, I fell in love with it and vowed to return; the dreamy beaches, the beautiful coastline, the culture, the lively nightlife, and especially the lovely tavernas, the simple eateries where families eat, drink and converse, an ideal setting to savor a communal meal.

And because I love Greek food, one of my favorite blogger is Peter of Kalofagas - Greek food & beyond. This recipe was on my to-do list for quite a while, and last night I decided I want to make it. Nothing beats the tantalizing smell of melted cheese. Peter suggests we use Kasseri cheese, a Greek cheese made of goat's milk. It has a creamy, sweet and mild taste. It also melts a lot quicker than haloumi and some of the other Greek cheeses. You can however also use haloumi, gouda, feta, or even Gran padano.

Ingredients (serves 6):
1 kg. of medium ground beef 
2 medium onions, grated 
4 slices of bread, soaked in water (or milk), hand squeezed and then crumbled
1 tbsp grated fresh garlic
2 eggs (for binding)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp chopped parsley
pinch of cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 inch flat squares of cheese (Vlahotyri or Kasseri)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well using your hands.
Form palm-sized patties with your hands, then squish them into flat patties and reserve in a platter. Cover with cling-wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Before grilling, allow the keftedes to come back to room temperature. Take your piece of cheese and place it in the middle of one pattie. Now place another pattie on top and press the two patties together to form one larger keftede. Now using your fingers, pinch the entire perimeter of your pattie so that when you grill, the Keftede will hold together and your cheese will not leak.
Grill on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes a side.

Keftedes au fromage

Ingrédients (6 personnes):
1 kg. de bœuf haché 
2 oignons gratés 
4 pains de mie, trempés dans de l'eau (ou dans du lait), puis bien égouttés et émiéttés
1 càs d'ail pressé
2 œufs
1 càc d'origan
1 càs de persil haché
pincée de cumin
sel et poivre selon goût
fromage coupé en dés (Vlahotyri ou Kasseri/halloumi-gouda-gran padano)

Mélangez tous les ingrédients dans un bol avec les mains.
Formez des boulettes dans la paume de votre main, aplatissez-les afin d'obtenir un disque et réservez-les dans un plat de service. Couvrez avec un film alimentaire et réfrigérez-les pendant au moins 4 heures.
Laissez revenir à température ambiante au moins 30 minutes avant de les griller. Prenez votre morceau de fromage et placez-le au milieu d'un disque. Maintenant, placez un autre disque sur le dessus et appuyez sur les deux disques. En utilisant vos doigts, pincez le pourtour de votre keftede de sorte que lorsque vous la griller, la Keftede se tient ensemble et votre fromage ne coule pas.
Grillez sur feu moyen pendant environ 5 minutes de chaque côté.