The process of shaping raw ingredients into something palatable — and the events that surround this endeavour — can lead to all kinds of unforgettable moments: kitchen disasters, severed digits, epic struggles with newfangled culinary gadgets and, sometimes, personal triumphs. So why not ask some of the city’s top chefs for their most memorable recipes? Why not, indeed? No, really — that’s what we did, and will continue to do weekly.
This week, we asked Chris Kalisperas, executive chef at Brassaii, to tell us about his breakthrough dish. While Kalisperas calls Toronto home, he spent a few formative years (cooking-wise, at least) in Cyprus, where he worked at the Coral Beach Hotel and Resort. After returning to Toronto, Kalisperas — who says he's always wanted to be a cook — spent time in the kitchens at Flow and Centro before settling at Brasaii. Here, Kalisperas shares a recipe from his childhood.
Says Kalisperas:
“As a child I knew I wanted to cook. I was the kid who went to his kindergarten play dressed up as a chef, while all the other kids were dressed as Spiderman and Batman. My two favourite shows growing up were Pasquale’s Kitchen Express and Wok With Yan. It would have been nice, though, if Pasquale and Yan explained the rigours of a hard day’s work in the kitchen. Regardless of the fact that the hours are long and weekends are non-existent, I still love what I do.
My mother was one of my biggest influences in the kitchen. I remember waking up on Sunday mornings and finding her cooking; I always wanted to help her. One of my favorite things she would make were keftedes.”
Keftedes (Greek meatballs)
Makes 20 meatballs
Ingredients
1 lb ground pork
¼ lb lean ground beef
1 medium Russet potato (grated)
1 medium size onion (grated)
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
½ cup fresh chopped mint
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ cup olive oil
1 large egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. kosher salt
½ tbsp. fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1. Strain the liquid from the grated onion and potato (press in a chinois).
2. Add all of the ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl, making sure to incorporate all the ingredients together.
3. Weigh out one-ounce portions of the mixture, roll them into the shape of a golf ball and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.
5. Heat one litre of canola oil in a deep frying pan.
6. Add five to six meatballs at a time to the oil, cook for four minutes, turning the meatballs every minute to brown on both sides and cook evenly.
7. Remove meatballs from fryer, sprinkle with kosher salt and serve with a side of tzatziki for dipping, along with grilled peasant bread sprinkled with olive oil.
