Greek Baked Meatballs Soutzoukakia Food

GREEK BAKED MEATBALLS: SOUTZOUKAKIA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, place the toasted bread and cover with milk (or water) to soak. When bread is soft and well-soaked, squeeze the liquid out completely and discard remaining milk if any.
• Transfer the bread to a large mixing bowl. Add round beef and remaining meatball ingredients. Knead well until well-combined. Cover the meat mixture and rest in the fridge for now.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• While oven is heating, prepare the sauce. In a sauce pan or large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes or so. Add garlic and cook for another minute, stirring regularly. Now add red wine and cook to reduce by about 1/2, then add tomato sauce, bay leaf and remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Prepare a large baking dish and lightly oil the bottom with extra virgin olive oil.
• Take the meat mixture out of the fridge. Wet your hands and scoop portions of about 2 1/2 tbsp of the meat mixture and form into large elongated meatballs (football-shaped.) You should have 15 to 16 meatballs or so. Arrange meatballs in the papered baking dish and top with the sauce (be sure to have removed the bay leaf from the sauce.)
• Place the baking dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the meatballs are well cooked through (check part-way through to make sure sauce is not dry, and if needed, add a little bit of water to the bottom of the baking dish.)
• Remove from oven and add another drizzle of EVOO. Garnish with parsley and serve over rice or orzo.

SOUTZOUKAKIA (GREEK MEATBALLS IN A TOMATO SAUCE)

Steps:

• Soak the bread in the wine for about 5 minutes, or until thoroughly softened.
• Then, squeeze out and reserve the excess wine.
• In a large bowl, combine the ground meat with the wine soaked bread, onion, garlic, egg, parsley, grated cheese, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Mix the ingredients until thoroughly blended.
• Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
• Dampen your hands, pinch off small portions of meat mixture, about the quantity of a teaspoon or just over, and shape into approximately 20 oval rolls (looks sort of like an elongated, slightly flattened, meatball).
• Dredge them in flour.
• Heat olive oil in a large frying pan.
• Add the meatballs and fry until browned all over, turning occasionally and allowing time for the meat to cook thoroughly. (alternatively, if you want a 'lighter' recipe, you could just brown in a non-stick pan or bake them in the oven - not as flavourful, but still good).
• Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Strain the oil you fried the meatballs in through a fine sieve into a cooking pan.
• Add all the sauce ingredients, and the reserved wine.
• Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce is thick.
• Drop in the meatballs, stir to cover all over with the sauce, and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
• Serve hot with rice, french fries, or mashed potatoes.

SOUTZOUKAKIA GREEK BAKED MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the bread in a large bowl and add the water. Let it soak for a few minutes and then discard any excess water. Add in the ground beef, onion, egg, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix well and make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.
• Wet your hands and form the mixture into cylinder shaped meatballs. You will have 8 to 12 meatballs. Roll the meatballs in all purpose flour and set them aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sear the meatballs in the pan for about 5 minutes until they're golden on all sides. They don't need to be cooked all the way through.
• To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan and once it's shimmery (but not smoking), add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, cinnamon and water. Bring it to a simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes so the flavors are combined and the sauce thickens a bit.
• Add the seared meatballs to the sauce and let it cook on medium low for about 30 minutes.If baking in the oven, place the meatballs in an oven safe dish and pour the sauce over the meatballs. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes to make sure the sauce hasn't thickened or dried too much. If needed, add 1/2 cup water.
• Serve with white rice.

SOUTZOUKAKIA

Steps:

• Mix the meat, egg, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs and cumin together. Add salt and pepper.
• Use the flour to form the meatballs with your hands ( not too small, not too big ).
• Deep fry the meatballs in vegetable oil in a low heat. Do not overcook them.
• Remove them from the pan and throw away the oil, apart from a few teaspoons.
• Shallow fry the tomato and peppercorns. Season.
• Add the tomato paste, the red wine and the stock diluted in water ( dont add too much water or the sauce will become runny ).
• Add a pinch of sugar and a few drops of lemon juice.
• Add the meatballs back to the pan and simmer in a very low heat for approximately 10 minutes, until the sauce is nice and thick.
• Serve with rice.