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Revithokeftedes and my cat Lisa

Revithokeftedes and my cat Lisa

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Revithokeftedes (pr. reh-vee-thaw-kae-FTEH-thes) aka chickpea Patties is a delicious, healthy, Greek, vegan meal.

Before going to the recipe, let me tell you about our cat, Lisa.

I do not remember ever mentioning our pet. We have a Siamese cat named Lisa and she is ten years old.

lisa studying image

She is also a Math genius.

You must be wondering what Lisa has to do with Revithokeftedes. In a way she does because my love for cats grew when I was about 10 years old.

Lisa image

This is a painting I did of Lisa during the first year of painting classes I took. It’s a very naive painting but I definitely paint much better now.

Painting of Lisa image

How is Lisa connected with Revithokeftedes

Back then, next door to us lived a nice old couple.

The man was Cypriot and the lady was from the Greek island of Chios.

They were not blessed with children and Mrs. Ypatia was really fond of me. She also loved cats.

I remember she had more than ten cats of her own but she would also take care of all the stray cats.

Although they were just the two of them, she cooked a lot of food and when she had a special treat she would always call me to give me some to try.

She was a really good cook as everything she would make was really delicious.

In some occasions when she needed help she would call me, especially during Easter or Christmas to help her make tsourekia, kourabiedes, melomakarona, koulourakia, diples, kaltsounia, etc.

That was my first love for the Greek cuisine and my love for cats.

Whenever I used to go at her place I loved gazing at some of her house ornaments which were mostly souvenirs she had brought from Greece or from Alexandria, where she and her husband had lived for many years.

I remember she had a camel shaped chair which was my favourite to sit on but the best part was playing with her cats.

One of the “unusual” things she would make was “keftedes” out of various dried legumes.

I say “unusual” as the only keftedes my mother would make (as well as all Cypriots) were the usual ones with meat.

My favourite of all her keftedes, was revithokeftedes.

Unfortunately I do not have any of her recipes, as I was only a child then, but this is a recipe I have been doing for many years and each time I make them, I have very sweet memories of her and her cats and kittens.

Today I have two recipes to share.

The first one is my creation with grated courgette (zucchini) and chickpeas.

Revithokeftedes me kolokythi image

Although, we are not gluten intolerant I used cornmeal as well as gluten free instant oats which are also full of fibre. 

The second recipe is the traditional one, which you will find at the end.

For both recipes, you can cook the chickpeas from scratch or use cooked stewed chickpeas or canned chickpeas.

These vegan chickpea patties, apart from tasting great, are also very healthy as they are low in fat, a great source of protein and very filling. 

Revithokeftedes me kolokythi image

Gluten Free Revithokeftedes (Chickpea Fritters)

Yield: 20
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

These vegan and gluten free chickpea patties, apart from tasting great, they are also very healthy as they are a great source of protein and fibre,

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups - 275 grams (0.6 lbs) chickpeas, soaked in water
  • 50 grams (1.7 oz), about ½ cup, grated courgette (zucchini)
  • 50 grams (1.7 oz), about ½ cup, grated carrot
  • 85 grams (3 oz), 1 medium onion, grated
  • 1 tsp roasted garlic puree or 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tbsp garlic oil
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp spice mixture
  • ¾ tbsp salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley (plus other herbs like mint or dill)
  • 40 grams (1.4 oz or ½ cup) gluten free instant oats
  • 75 grams (2.6 oz) cornmeal
  • Olive oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Put chickpeas in a bowl, covering them with 5 - 8 cm / 2 - 3 inches water on top and soak overnight. (If using leftover cooked chickpeas or canned ones, drain and skip the above step.
  2. In a food processor pulse the chickpeas  If you have a small food processor, do this gradually but without puréeing them  If you find any difficulty in pulsing them add a tablespoon water and continue.
  3. Grate the zucchini and carrot and squeeze to remove excess water.
  4. Empty them in a bowl  Put the onion and garlic in the food processor and pulse.
  5. Add all the remaining ingredients except the cornmeal for dredging and mix well.
  6. Shape them into round or oblonged patties, dredge them in cornmeal and fry in hot olive oil.
  7. Remove on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil and serve as a side dish.

Notes

If you prefer to bake them in the oven, follow the instructions in the recipe that follows.

Nutrition Information
Yield 20 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 66Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 267mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 2g

Did you make this recipe?

Tried this recipe? Tag me @ivyliac and use the hashtag #kopiaste!

If you are not fasting, you can add some feta in but add less salt and serve them with Tzatziki, Garlic Sauce and Tahini Sauce and a salad.

You can find more Lenten recipes here.

Vegan revithokeftedes image
Revithokeftedes picture

Revithokeftedes (Chickpea Patties)

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Revithokeftedes (pr. reh-vee-thaw-kae-FTEH-thes) aka chickpea Patties is a delicious, healthy, Greek, vegan meal.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 kilo chickpeas, preferably without skin
  • 1 onion, grated
  • 2 spring onions, white part only, finely chopped
  • 1 cup of parsley, finely cut
  • 2 spoonfuls of dried mint, crumbled
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large boiled potato, mashed
  • 1 tablespoon of flour
  • 70 grams sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. Wash them well and remove as much of the peel, if any. Drain, add fresh water and bring to a boil. Skim all the foam that forms with a slotted spoon and then drain. Put them in the pot again and add water and remove any more peels which will float on the surface. Put them back on the heat with water and when they boil add salt and simmer until they become soft. This may take 1 - 2 hours depending on the quality of the chickpeas. You can boil the potato separately or add it half way through.
  2. If using cooked or canned chickpeas skip the above step and boil the potato separately.
  3. Drain and mash with a fork. I do not mash them in a food processor as we want some small bits of chickpeas in the patties.
  4. Grate the onion and finely cut the spring onions and the parsley
  5. Add all the remaining ingredients except the sesame seeds and mix well.
  6. Refrigerate for half an hour and form them into balls and then flatten them into patties.
  7. Dredge them in sesame seeds.
  8. Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF).
  9. Put them a baking tin lined with parchment paper.
  10. Bake for 20 minutes and turn them over. Bake until golden, for about 15 more minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 182Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 0mgSodium 86mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 7gSugar 4gProtein 8g

Did you make this recipe?

Tried this recipe? Tag me @ivyliac and use the hashtag #kopiaste!

Meatballs, Fritters or Patties

More recipes for meatballs, fritters or patties

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!

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Ivy

Wednesday 3rd of September 2008

Hi Dona, so you finally found me. Fattoush was the first thing I made when I got the sumac. Great salad.

DONA

Wednesday 3rd of September 2008

HI IVY

I JUST MANAGED TO VISIT YOUR NEW BLOG YOU WROTE SOMETHING ABOUT SOUMAKI I AM USING SOUMAKI MY SELF FOR MAKING THE FAMOUS LEBANESE SALAD CALL FATOUSH DO YOU KNOW THE RECIPE?? IF YOU DONT LET LET ME KNOW AND I WILL SENT IT TO YOU

LOVE AND KISSES DONA - CYPRUS

Lore

Wednesday 3rd of September 2008

Lisa instantly caught my eye and to think I'm not especially fond of kitties :)... but she is just too cute! Wonderful memories Ivy and your patties look delicious :)

Rosie

Monday 1st of September 2008

Ivy this looks wonderful and I adore your kitty too :)

Rosie x

Bellini Valli

Sunday 31st of August 2008

You are so lucky to have such wonderful memories of your childhood sis. Nice to have a neighbour to teach you the little tricks of preparing delicious Greek dishes.

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