Greek Eats bento Take 2!

The craving for greek food had welled up again, and luckily I had just gotten a new issue of Bon Apétit magazine featuring a whole section of Greek party food. One delicious recipe I had to try? Zucchini keftedes, a type of croquette. They were absolutely delicious with feta, dill, mint, and lemon and the leftovers fit perfectly into a bento, which I took to work.

Besides the croquettes, I put in some minty orzo pasta, cheese hearts, grapes, and a Japanese peach gummy. I usually don’t make anything out of Bon Apétit magazine because the food is usually too snobby and calls for impossible-to-find ingredients (Capered lamb loin with coriander orange creme and lavender sugars! avocado asparagus with rose water and sautéed halibut! Not really but close, lol.) However, I’ve scored two home-runs out of this issue. Along with the zucchini keftedes, I made a really good bacon and leek risotto with over-easy eggs. Very delish!

Here’s the recipe for Zucchini Keftedes! It’s a perfect meal if you’re into Meatless Mondays!

Ingredients:
4 zucchini; make sure they are firm and free of blemishes
Coarse salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions or finely chopped leeks (I used leeks since I had them on hand for another recipe.)
3 tablespoons fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried dill
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (use the fresh stuff only!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Grated zest from one small lemon
1 cup panko
1 egg, beaten
1 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese
Canola or pure olive oil for frying

Directions:
Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Lay out on a clean kitchen towel or some thick paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Wrap the zucchini in the towel and squeeze over the sink, getting as much moisture out as possible. Place the zucchini in a mixing bowl and add onions, lemon zest, garlic, mint and dill, and some black pepper. Gently stir in the panko and the egg, then fold in the feta cheese. Gently shape the mixture into 10-12 patties, placing them on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Let chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

Pour enough oil in a skillet to coat the bottom. Working in batches of three or four, fry the patties until golden brown, flipping once. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Garnish with greek yogurt or more feta and dill if desired! They taste fine warm or at room temperature!

Have you tried any new knock-out bento recipes lately?