Soutzoukakia Smyrneika

Ingredients

• 500g minced beef, or 250g beef and 250g pork
• 80g stale white bread, crusts removed
• 120ml dry red wine
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus 3 tbsp for frying
• 1 tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp plain flour, for dusting
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 700g passata or grated fresh tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin, for the sauce
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp sugar
• 200ml water

Before you cook

• Tear the bread into pieces and soak it in the red wine for 5 minutes, until completely softened.
• Crush the garlic to a paste with a little salt.
• Finely chop the onion for the sauce.

Steps

1. Squeeze the soaked bread firmly to get rid of the excess wine, then crumble it into a large bowl.
2. Add the mince, garlic paste, egg, cumin, ground cinnamon, olive oil, salt and plenty of pepper.
3. Knead the mixture with your hand for 3 minutes, until it turns smooth and slightly tacky.
4. Cover the bowl and chill it for 30 minutes so the spices settle into the meat.
5. Roll the mixture into 12 short ovals about 7cm long, tapering each end.
6. Dust the ovals lightly all over with flour and set them on a tray.
7. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat.
8. Fry the soutzoukakia in two batches for about 4 minutes each, turning them, until browned all over but not cooked through.
9. Lift them onto a plate and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
10. Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook it for 5 minutes, until soft.
11. Stir in the chopped garlic, tomato paste and cumin and cook for 1 minute.
12. Pour in the passata and water, then add the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper.
13. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, until it thickens a little.
14. Return the soutzoukakia to the pan and spoon sauce over each one.
15. Cover the pan and simmer very gently for 25 minutes, turning them once so both sides sit in the sauce.
16. Lift out the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and rest the pan off the heat for 5 minutes.
17. Serve with rice or mashed potato and spoon plenty of the sauce over.