Shortcuts: Greek-inspired meatballs

I love the sights, smells and sounds you experience at traditional Greek restaurants. There is a festive atmosphere when Saganaki (Greek cheese) bursts into flame and your server cries "opa" to start the meal. That's just a sidebar to myriad mouthwatering dishes and good wine served!

Wanting to capture some of these flavors, without the benefit of a family heritage, I spent several days experimenting with Greek cuisine in my own kitchen.

Gyro is a Greek specialty made with minced lamb and spices. I love the blend of flavors in this rich meat. My first triumph was constructing Alton Brown's gyro meatloaf featured on the Food Network Web site. I wouldn't call the recipe simple, so I continued with my own trials and errors until one paid off.

I mastered Greek meatballs with lemon sauce. Adapting ingredients from several recipes, simpli-fying seasonings and altering the cooking style for ease of preparation and a healthier outcome (oven baking instead of sautéing or poaching), resulted in the following recipe.

Instead of using two pounds of lamb -- pricey at $6.99 a pound -- I cut cost and calories by substi-tuting one pound of ground turkey. If you don't have all the individual seasonings on hand, grab a jar of Greek seasoning in the spice aisle of your supermarket. This single seasoning is a mixture of herbs and flavors universal in Greek cooking.

Serve these miniature meatballs on top of brown rice or orzo blanketed with a glaze of lemon sauce. To round out this savory Greek meal, add a tossed salad and crusty wholegrain rolls.

GREEK MEATBALLS

1 pound ground lamb

1 pound ground turkey

4 slices of bread, without crust

2 beaten eggs

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons Greek seasoning*

2 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

*May substitute any combination of dried oregano, mint, marjoram, rosemary or thyme to equal 1 1/2 tablespoons.

Soak bread slices in 1/2 cup water for 2 to 3 minutes; then squeeze out moisture. Place bread, lamb, ground turkey and egg in large mixing bowl. Use hands to blend ingredients. Place all re-maining ingredients in food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add mixture to ground meat and mix well. Form into two-inch balls and place on baking sheet. Bake in preheated 375 F oven for 30 minutes. Makes about 40, two-inch meatballs. Serve meatballs over cooked rice or orzo topped with lemon sauce.

LEMON SAUCE

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup water

1 rounded tablespoon flour

1 beaten egg

1 tablespoon butter

Salt to taste

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

Combine lemon juice, water, flour and egg. In medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring ingredients to a boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted and parsley. Serve over meatballs.

Mary Ann Kauchak lives in Lake Ridge. Her third cookbook, "SHORTCUTS, TOO," is now available at Salt & Pepper Books in Occoquan. She can be reached at makauchak@comcast.net.