Cooking with Rania: Souzoukakia from Smyrna
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Rania Harris is reaching back to her Greek roots with this recipe. It's one of her family's favorite comfort foods.
Souzoukakia from Smyrna
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 4 teaspoons unsalted butter
- 1 large onion - chopped
- 2 eggs
- 5 slices whole wheat bread - toasted (crusts removed)
- Approximately 1 cup tomato sauce (see note in recipe)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Tomato sauce - see attached recipe
- Mashed Potatoes – see attached recipe
Directions
Place the ground beef in a large bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a small skillet and sauté the onions until lightly golden in color. Add the cooked onions to the ground beef. Add the eggs, toasted whole wheat bread and enough tomato sauce to make the mixture light - yet firm enough to hold together when shaping into your Souzoukakia. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Blend in the chopped parsley and knead the mixture until all ingredients are well combined.
Form the mixture into oval shaped sausages. Place them on a baking pan with sides and bake them in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 20 -25 minutes or until they are firm to the touch and cooked through.
When cooked, drop the souzoukakia into the tomato sauce along with the drippings left in the pan in which the Souzoukakia were cooked.
Serve over mashed potatoes and add a green salad to complete the feast
Serves: 8
Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 peeled and halved garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 - 35-ounce can crushed Italian tomatoes in their own puree
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Pinch of sugar
- 2 basil sprigs
Directions:
In a large saucepan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the garlic cloves and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the sugar and basil sprigs and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, about 10 – 15 minutes. Discard the basil sprigs and garlic.
Mashed Potatoes
- 3 pounds golden potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons chopped chives
Directions
Put the potatoes into a large pot with 1 tablespoon of salt, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain them well.
Meanwhile, heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan. Put the potatoes through a ricer into a bowl. Add the hot cream and season with salt and pepper. Mix together with a spoon and add the chives.
Serves: 8
