IHCC: October Potluck

It's our first potluck with Tessa Kiros at I Heart Cooking Clubs.



As a child, whether it was at church, with friends, with extended family, or with my grandparents' camping club I dreaded potlucks.  I never seemed to know what anything was in all those pots, bowls, and casserole dishes.  It wasn't that I was a picky eater (I definitely was not picky.  Remember?  I was a chubby bébé).  It had more to do with the fact that nothing tasted like home.  I had no sense of adventure anyway. 

Things weren't helped by the fact that I had this one great-aunt who was a bit (and by a bit I mean a lot) eccentric.  Every Southern family has to have at least one crazy aunt.  It's the law.  She contributed dishes like Aunt ____'s Unidentifiable Green Stuff to our holiday meals.

I've gotten over my issues with potlucks.  For the most part.  

And I promise not to bring Unidentifiable Green Stuff to this, or any, potluck.

Instead I'm bringing Unidentifiable Fried Stuff.

We liked these Chickpea Balls from Food From Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros.  I particularly liked the dill, which is something I don't cook with often.  I grew dill once.  Only once since I was faced with a choice of letting it self-seed all over my yard or pulling up the strays.  Not a position I wanted to be in.  You know how I feel about pulling up plants. 

I served the chickpea balls with Tessa Kiros' Yogurt on the Side, which I also liked.  Tessa Kiros suggests that this is a good alternative to tzatiki when you need something "more plain."  This is also a great substitute for tzatiki if you're serving someone who doesn't like cucumbers.   The chickpea balls and the yogurt went well together.

Keep in mind that the chickpeas have to soak overnight and the garlic and olive oil for the yogurt have to sit for half an hour.

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Chickpea Balls (Revithokeftedes)
from Food From Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros


1/2 c dried chickpeas
1 Tbsp flour, plus extra for coating
6 1/2 oz potato (1 medium to large)
1/4 c onion, grated
1 Tbsp coarsely chopped dill
1 Tbsp coarsely chopped parsley
salt & pepper
light olive oil for frying
lemon quarters for serving

Soak the chickpeas and the flour in plenty of cold water overnight.

Boil the potato in salted water until very tender.  Drain.  When cool enough to handle, peel and mash with a fork in a large bowl.  Drain the soaked chickpeas and puree them in a food processor, leaving some texture.  Add to the potato along with the onion, dill, and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper and mix well.  Shape into 18 walnut-size balls of about 1 oz each.  Put some flour in a bowl and gently roll the balls in this to coat.

Pour the olive oil into a large skillet to a depth of about 1/4 inch and put over medium-high heat.

Fry the balls in batches, gently turning them to brown evenly.  As they are done, remove with tongs and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt and serve hot or cold with lemon quarters.

My notes: The chickpea mixture was a little wet, so I added a sprinkle or two of flour to help hold it together.  I used a deep fryer since I had it out for something else.  Skipped the lemon and used a yogurt dip instead.


Yogurt on the Side (Yiaourti)
from Food From Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros

1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 c Greek yogurt
about 1/4 c plain yogurt (I didn't need this)
a large pinch paprika
1/2 tsp dried mint (used fresh)
salt and pepper

Put the crushed garlic and the olive oil in a cup and leave to steep for half an hour or so.

Put the Greek yogurt in a bowl.  Add just enough regular yogurt to loosen it (you might have some left over, as not all yogurts are the same thickness).  Add the paprika and mint, and pour the olive oil in, keeping back the garlic.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix.


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Please join me Sunday evening--October 9th for a weekly potluck link-up!