043Smyrna-style meatballs in tomato sauce

Method

Classic Smyrna refugee style. Serves 4 generously, ideal over white rice pilaf or mashed potatoes.

You will need

• mixing bowl
• wide frying pan
• shallow casserole or wide saucepan with lid
• tongs

1. Tear the bread into a small bowl, pour over the red wine, let it absorb completely for 5 minutes, then squeeze firmly to leave it moist but not dripping. 5 min Ready when: bread breaks apart easily
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the minced beef, wine-soaked bread, crushed garlic, cumin, egg, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper; knead thoroughly with your hands for 4 minutes. 4 min Ready when: meat mass is cohesive and aromatic with cumin
3. Shape the mixture into 16 elongated, oblong sausage shapes (about 6 to 7 centimetres long) and roll lightly in the plain flour, tapping off excess. 8 min Ready when: smooth oblongs with a very light dusting
4. Heat 60ml olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat and sear the soutzoukakia on all sides for 4 to 5 minutes until browned, then transfer to a plate. 5 min Ready when: browned crust formed all over
5. In a shallow casserole or deep pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, add the grated onion, and sauté for 4 minutes until translucent. 4 min Ready when: onion softened without browning
6. Stir in the sliced garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute, then add the pureed tomatoes, water, sugar, and a pinch of salt; bring to a simmer. 3 min Ready when: sauce is bubbling gently
7. Gently place the browned meatballs into the sauce in a single layer, cover partially with a lid, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are tender. 20 min Ready when: sauce is rich and clings to the soutzoukakia

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Make ahead and storing

Improves substantially on the second day as the cumin and garlic fully infuse the tomato sauce.

Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water.

Substitutions

• half minced beef, half minced pork or lamb for minced beef. A very common Smyrna practice that adds richness and moisture to the meat.
• dry white wine or water for dry red wine. Red wine is traditional for its deep colour and acid, but dry white wine works well.

Common mistakes

• Omitting or skimping on cumin and garlic. Without heavy cumin and pronounced garlic, they are merely regular meatballs in tomato sauce, losing their Smyrna character.
• Boiling the meatballs too aggressively in the sauce. Vigorous boiling breaks up the fragile oblong shapes and dries out the mince.

Regional variants

• Baked soutzoukakia (oven-finished in a clay dish after shallow frying)
• Spiced-sauce variant (adding a pinch of ground cinnamon or allspice to the tomato sauce)

About the dish

Soutzoukakia smyrneika arrived in mainland Greece with the Greek refugees from Asia Minor during the 1922 population exchange. Named for their oblong, sausage-like shape (from Turkish sucuk), they are distinguished from ordinary keftedes by a pungent presence of garlic, ground cumin, and red wine soaked into the bread. Quickly seared and then simmered in a rich, lightly spiced tomato sauce, they became one of the most beloved refugee dishes to enter the pan-Hellenic repertoire, typically paired with buttery rice pilaf or mashed potatoes.

Found in Attica, Macedonia. Cooked for everyday, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• İzmir köfte (Turkish). Closely related in heritage from the city of Smyrna (İzmir), though the modern Turkish dish is commonly baked in a tray with peppers and potato wedges.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

770 kcal · protein 36.7 g · fat 52.5 g (saturated 13.3 g) · carbohydrate 34.1 g (sugars 6.5 g) · fibre 3.4 g · sodium 975 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Asia Minor refugee domestic tradition, prioritising wine-soaked bread, bold cumin, and gentle simmering in pureed summer tomatoes..