The weekend is becoming my default time for grilling. It’s a perfect late afternoon/early evening activity, and provides tasty meals without heating up the kitchen. This weekend, I decided to try a recipe I had been eyeing for a while from Greek Food Recipes and Reflections. This stuffed biftekia is similar to a stuffed hamburger, but the meat mixture is spiced and herbed, resulting in a delicious standalone dish that needs no bun.

The original recipe calls for ground lamb or veal, or a combination of the two. I decided to try a different take and went with ground bison. It was juicy and flavorful, but it was almost too juicy; the package of bison included a lot of juices which I think later contributed to some of the problems I had keeping them intact.

I don’t think the finely chopped onions helped either with the excess moisture… I chopped them in my mini food processor, and while it diced them nicely, I think I should have drained them a bit before adding them. A variety of other things go in: an egg, some breadcrumbs, olive oil, fresh chopped parsley, oregano, thyme and some salt and pepper. The whole mixture gets mixed together thoroughly with your hands, which is messy but fun.

The mixture is divided into four parts, form each into a ball then flatten them. Put a moderately sized hunk of feta in the middle of the meat. I used an herbed feta for extra flavor.

Fold the meat over the top of the feta, encasing it in the meat mixture securely on all sides.

The biftekia are ready for grilling!

I grilled them about 6 minutes on the first side, but as I mentioned earlier they started falling apart when I flipped them. I’d probably leave them a little longer on the first side next time; I ended up grilling the second side a bit longer to make up with it.

Serve with some homemade tzatziki. I forgot to take any pictures of the preparation of the tzatziki, so I’ll save that recipe for another post sometime.

Oh yeah, and we grilled up some veggies to go as a side; zucchini, green peppers and vidalia onions (in the foil).

Feta Stuffed Grilled Biftekia (courtesy of Greek Food Recipes and Reflections).

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground lamb or veal (or a combination of the two)
• 1/2 lb Feta Cheese
• 1 medium-sized onions, grated
• 1 eggs
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoons dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon Greek extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Fresh ground pepper
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the meat, onion, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, herbs and olive oil. Use your hands to mix thoroughly.
2. Divide the mixture into four equal parts. Roll each part into a ball then, flatten the ball into a thin patty about a 1/4 of an inch thick.
3. Place a piece Feta cheese in the center of the meat patty and fold the meat up around the cheese. Smooth the biftekia in your hands to seal in the cheese.
4. Grill the biftekia for about 6 – 7 minutes on each side or until done.

A few weeks ago we bought a couple of steaks from a butcher that stocks some unusual and exotic meats. We decided on two New York Strip cuts, one of bison and one of elk. This past weekend we finally got a grill to cook them on.

I rubbed each steak with a different spice mix that I picked up at the Spice House in Chicago the last time I was there. The bison got the Old World Central Street Seasoning, and the elk got the Hyde Park Seasoning.

To go along with the steak, we grilled corn cobs in their husks and roasted a mix of red potatoes and radishes…

I tossed them with some olive oil, basil, oregano, paprika and salt and pepper, and roasted them at 350ºF for 45 minutes.

A successful first grill of the season. The meat was juicy, flavorful and tender. The elk and the bison were distinct, but in a way that is not really describable. They were both very tasty, though.