Soutzoukakia Smyrneika
Σουτζουκάκια Σμυρναίικα·(soo-tzoo-KAH-kya smeer-NAY-ka)
To Kiriakatiko Trapezi: The Sunday Supper & Sto Fourno
Shape the meat into oblong beef patties, warm a wide skillet, and slide them into the oil. Brought over by the refugees of Smyrna in the 1920s, these are heavily spiced torpedoes of beef built on a non-negotiable foundation of garlic, sweet red wine, and a heavy pinch of cumin to scent the whole house. There are rules here: no onions in the meat, no dry breadcrumbs, and you must step away from the wooden spoon when they hit the simmering crushed tomatoes.
Ingredients
- ground beef1 1/2 lb
- white bread3 large
- ruby port1/3 cup
- garlic3 large
- egg1 large
- ground cumin1 1/2 tbsp
- extra virgin olive oil2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- ruby port2 tbsp
- all-purpose flour1/2 cup
- neutral oil1/2 cup
- extra virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- yellow onion1 large
- garlic2 large
- tomato paste1 tbsp
- ruby port1/4 cup
- crushed tomatoes28 oz
- water1 cup
- cinnamon stick1 med
- bay leaf1 med
- allspice berries3 small
- sugar1 tsp
Method
- 01
Soak the bread in the sweet wine to create a panade.
Place the torn bread into a bowl, pour the 1/3 cup of ruby port over it, and let it sit for five minutes. Wring out the excess liquid with your hands and crumble the soaked bread into a large mixing bowl.
- 02
Knead the meat mixture vigorously to replicate a double grind.
Add the ground beef, minced garlic paste, egg, cumin, two tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper to the bread. Mix by hand for three to four minutes until the mixture breaks down and becomes tacky, then refrigerate for at least thirty minutes to let the cumin bloom into the fat.
- 03
Shape the meat into heavily dusted, oblong cylinders.
Dip your fingers in the reserved splash of sweet wine. Roll roughly two-ounce portions into fat little cigars about the length of your middle finger, roll them in the flour, and rigorously shake off all excess so only a micro-dusting remains.
- 04
Shallow fry the meatballs purely to build a structural crust.
Heat the neutral oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs in batches for one to two minutes per side until deeply golden, then transfer them to a paper towel.
- 05
Build the aromatic tomato braise.
In a wide Dutch oven, heat the remaining three tablespoons of olive oil over medium. Sauté the grated onion for five minutes until sweet, toast the smashed garlic and tomato paste for a minute, then deglaze with the quarter cup of wine before adding the tomatoes, water, cinnamon, bay leaf, allspice, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- 06
Simmer the meatballs gently without stirring.
Nestle the browned meat into the simmering sauce, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cover with the lid slightly ajar for thirty minutes. Never stir with a spoon—just gently shake the pot by the handles to keep the fragile meatballs intact.
Notes
Keep the onions strictly out of the meat.
True Smyrneika gets its flavor from an audacious amount of garlic and cumin in the meat. Adding onions to the beef turns it into a standard Greek keftede; save the onion entirely for building the tomato sauce base.
Use sweet red wine instead of water.
Mavrodaphne is the traditional choice, but a supermarket Ruby Port works perfectly to impart the authentic caramel and raisin notes into the panade.
From Cook Greek in America.