Page 21 - RECIPES BOOK

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Add the fried/ baked / grilled soutzoukakia in the
tomato sauce and stir gently, being careful not to
break them. Leave to simmer in low heat for 15
minutes, enabling the meatballs to absorb all the
wonderful flavors from the tomato sauce.

4. Serve the soutzoukakia (baked meatballs) while
still hot with some rice or mashed potatoes and
lots of tomato sauce. Enjoy!!

What kind of meat to use? Here we use lean ground
beef, but you can use equal portions of beef and
lamb. You can also try mixing in ground turkey, if
you like.
Prepare-Ahead: If you want to get a head start on
this recipe, you can make the sauce one night in
advance. You can also mix the meat mixture one
night in advance of cooking; store in the fridge in a
glass container with a tight lid. When ready to cook,
warm up the sauce and follow recipe instructions
from there.
Leftovers: these Greek meatballs should keep well
for 3 or so nights in the fridge. Store in tight-lid
glass containers. You can also freeze leftovers;
thaw out in the fridge overnight. Heat leftovers in a
medium-heated oven, add more liquid to your pan
and cover until warmed through.