Many of the recipes I’ve received from Mama are rooted in regional tradition, but this one for “pitakia” is a true family specialty. It’s about as local as you can get: Mama learned it from her mother, and it likely goes back even further. This isn’t a formal recipe so much as a thrifty technique for using the flour left behind after making Greek meatballs (keftedes) or summer meatballs.
Once you roll the meatballs in flour, that flour picks up small bits of meat and can’t really be used elsewhere. Rather than waste the flour—and those flavorful crumbs—Mama transforms it into pitakia. Sprinkle the leftover flour with salt, then add water to create a paste. If you’ve just made summer meatballs, use the flavorful liquid that drained from the meat mixture instead of plain water for extra taste.
Make small patties from the flour paste. The paste should be fairly wet and sticky; if it’s too dry the pitakia will turn out tough. Use enough liquid so the mixture is slightly difficult to handle. Lightly coat your hands with oil to make forming patties easier. There’s no need to make them look perfect—rough, rustic shapes are traditional. Slide the patties into the hot oil that you used to cook the meatballs (leave the heat on under the pan).
Fry until the underside is golden, then flip and cook the other side until it, too, is golden brown. Serve the pitakia hot alongside the meatballs for a satisfying, no-waste accompaniment.
As I mentioned in my fry-bread post, the delicious fried flour-and-water paste I remembered was exactly these pitakia—simple, economical, and full of home-cooked flavor.