Soutzoukakia Smyrneika is a classic for all Greeks today, but we are preparing it differently this time - the soutzoukakia will be accompanied by macaroni.
Materials
500 gr. of macaroni or another short pasta
For the soutzoukakia:
1 kg of ground beef
Three cloves garlic, minced
Two onions, chopped
100 gr. stale bread
1½ glasses of red wine
1 tsp. tablespoon cumin
1/4 tsp. sweet cayenne pepper
Four tsp. of extra virgin olive oil
salt, black pepper
For the tomato sauce:
1 kilo of tomato passata
1 tsp. tomato paste
Six tsp. of extra virgin olive oil
Two cloves garlic, minced
One medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. cumin
salt, black pepper
Procedure
Step 1
Soutzoukakia: Soak the bread in a bowl with ½ cup of red wine. Put the minced meat, garlic, onion, cumin, black pepper, cayenne, and salt in a bowl. Add the bread along with its wine. Knead the mixture well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the mixture stand for at least 1 hour.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put the red wine in a deep dish. Shape the soutzoukakia into an oval shape after wetting our palms with the wine. Arrange them on a baking tray lined with non-stick paper. Brush the soutzoukakia with extra virgin olive oil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Tomato sauce: Put the extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and onion until soft. Add as much wine as we have left from the soutzoukakia. Let the alcohol evaporate a little, and add the pasata, tomato paste, cumin, Cayenne pepper and salt. Mix well and let the sauce simmer and set. Take the soutzoukakia out of the oven and put it in the tomato sauce. Let the food simmer for another 30 minutes.
Serve with pasta.
By Giorgos Dimitrakopoulos. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.
