Traditional Soutzoukakia recipe (Greek baked Meatballs in tomato sauce

• Meat

  • 800 g Ground beef

• Produce

  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • 1 Onion

• Refrigerated

  • 2 Eggs

• Canned Goods

  • 1 tbsp Tomato paste

• Condiments

  • 2 tbsp Green olives

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tsp Sugar

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1/4 cup Olive oil
  • 1 Olive oil

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 1 tsp Cumin, ground
  • 1 tsp Cumin

• Bread & Baked Goods

  • 5 slices Stale bread

• Drinks

  • 3 cups Tomato juice

• Beer, Wine & Liquor

  • 1 cup Red wine

Found on mygreekdish.com

Ingredients

• 800g ground beef (28 ounces)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin (if you are a fan of cumin, try 2-3 teaspoons!)
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 5 slices of stale bread soaked in red wine and squeezed dry or 1 cup of breadcrumbs
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups tomato juice (passata)
• 1 onion, grated
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons green olives, pitted (optional)

Directions

• Instructions To prepare the soutzoukakia, knead all ingredients together and leave the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Shape into oblong meatballs and shallow fry gently in oil till golden brown. Alternatively for a lighter dish, bake the soutzoukakia till golden brown. To prepare the tomato sauce for the soutzoukakia, sauté the onion in olive oil. Add the squashed garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes until the onions are tender. Add the wine, the tomato juice, sugar, cumin, tomato paste, the bay leaf and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer, until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the fried/ baked / grilled soutzoukakia in the tomato sauce and stir gently, being careful not to brake them. Leave to simmer in low heat for 15 minutes, enabling the meatballs to absorb all the wonderful flavours from the tomato sauce. Serve the soutzoukakia (baked meatballs) while still hot with some rice or mashed potatoes and lots of tomato sauce. Enjoy!!