Smyrna-style baked soutzoukakia (Greek spiced meatballs in tomato sauce)
Mrs Mary Nicolaidou, a wonderful lady of Armenian descent, makes the most delicious soutzoukakia I have ever tasted. She advised me to dip my palms in red wine while shaping the meatballs. This gives them a beautiful aroma and helps marinate the meat. After many attempts, I finally came up with my own version of this much-loved dish. I prefer baking the meatballs in the oven rather than frying them. They turn out lighter and less greasy.
Ingredients
For the soutzoukakia
- 80 grams day-old bread crusts removed
- 1½ cups red wine
- 1 kg ground beef
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 medium onion very finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- Approximately ½ cup olive oil for brushing
For the tomato sauce
- 800 grams canned chopped or crushed tomatoes
- 400 grams tomato passata
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- The remaining red wine from shaping the meatballs
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the bread in a bowl and leave it to soak in ½ cup of red wine.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, garlic, onion, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and salt. Add the bread along with the wine in which it has been soaked. Mix and knead thoroughly with our hands until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave the mixture to rest for at least one hour. We usually prepare it the day before and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), using the fan setting. Pour the remaining red wine into a relatively deep dish. Shape the mixture into oval meatballs, dipping our palms in the wine as we work.
- Arrange the meatballs on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat them with olive oil. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté briefly, until softened.
- Pour in the remaining wine from shaping the meatballs. Allow the alcohol to evaporate slightly, then add the crushed tomatoes, passata, tomato paste, cumin, black pepper, sugar and salt. Stir well and leave the sauce to simmer uncovered until it thickens.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and carefully transfer them to the tomato sauce. Allow everything to simmer gently for another 30 minutes.
- Serve with rice and sprinkle with finely chopped fresh parsley.