← Nouns Cooking · Greek

Ingredients

• 3 slices stale white bread, crusts removed
• 100 ml red wine (or water), for soaking
• 800 g Minced beef
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 Eggs
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1½ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Onion, grated
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 100 ml red wine
• 700 ml Passata
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 Bay leaves

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F). Soak the bread in the wine for a few minutes, squeeze it out well and crumble it into a large bowl.
2. Add the mince, garlic, egg, spices, parsley, oil, salt and pepper and knead with your hands for 2–3 min until smooth and slightly sticky. With wet hands, shape into about 18 oval logs, 7–8 cm long.
3. Lay them in an oiled roasting dish in one layer and bake for 20 min until browned.
4. Meanwhile, make the sauce: heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 min. Add the garlic for 1 minute, pour in the wine and bubble for 1 minute, then add the passata, tomato paste, cumin, sugar and bay leaf with a pinch of salt. Simmer for 15 min.
5. Pour the sauce over the meatballs, turn the oven down to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F) and bake for 20–25 min more, until the sauce is bubbling and the meatballs are cooked through to 71°C (160°F).
6. Rest for 5 min and serve with rice, mashed potatoes or chips, and bread for the sauce.

Tips

• Use half beef and half pork or lamb mince for juicier soutzoukakia.
• For a gluten-free version, swap the bread for 4 tbsp of gluten-free breadcrumbs or cooked rice.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

My Greek Dish Dimitra's Dishes