Chef Dimitra
Bourdeto Kerkyra (Μπουρδέτο Κέρκυρας)
Corfu's bourdeto is a red, pepper-hot fish braise, traditionally made with scorpionfish, potatoes, tomato, and enough heat to announce the Ionian table.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Soutzoukakia Smyrneika (Σουτζουκάκια Σμυρνέικα)
Created by
Smyrna's oval meatballs carry cumin, garlic, and cinnamon-spiked tomato, softened by wine-soaked bread and finished in the sauce until they surrender.
Soups & Stews
Greek
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
35 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 20 min total
Yield6 servings
Soutzoukakia Smyrneika are Smyrna's oval meatballs, carried by cumin and garlic, then simmered in tomato scented with cinnamon. They are not round keftedes in sauce. They have their own shape, their own spice, and their own refugee road into the Greek kitchen.
The method that decides them is the bread. Soak stale country bread in red wine, squeeze it gently, and work it into the meat before you shape the ovals. That damp crumb keeps the meat tender while the sauce finishes it. Skip it and the pot punishes you, quite fairly.
Brown them only for color, then let the tomato do the real cooking. You want a low bubble, a glossy red sauce, and the smell of cumin rising first, cinnamon second. In my grandmother Despina's Thessaloniki kitchen, this was one of the dishes that told you where a family had come from before anyone said the story out loud. The region is the dish's surname.
Soutzoukakia Smyrneika belong to Smyrna, the Asia Minor port city whose Greek communities were expelled in 1922. Refugee families brought the dish to mainland Greece with cumin, garlic, and a cinnamon-touched tomato sauce that marked it apart from older mainland meat dishes. In Smyrna they were often sold as street food; in northern Greek refugee households, the same spice pattern became a Sunday pot.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
ground beef
Quantity
700g
preferably 85 percent lean
ground pork
Quantity
200g
stale country bread
Quantity
120g
crusts removed
dry red wine
Quantity
120ml
for soaking the bread
medium onion
Quantity
1
finely grated
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
minced
large egg
Quantity
1
fine sea salt
Quantity
12g
ground cumin
Quantity
2 tsp
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 tsp
ground cinnamon
Quantity
1/4 tsp
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
40g
finely chopped
plain flour
Quantity
60g
for dusting
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
90ml
for browning
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
2 tbsp
for the sauce
small onion
Quantity
1
finely chopped
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
thinly sliced
crushed ripe tomatoes or good canned crushed tomatoes
Quantity
800g
dry red wine
Quantity
120ml
for the sauce
tomato paste
Quantity
1 tbsp
cinnamon stick
Quantity
1
bay leaf
Quantity
1
sugar (optional)
Quantity
1 tsp
only if the tomatoes are sharp
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/2 tsp
plus more as needed
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/4 tsp
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tbsp
chopped, to finish
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| ground beefpreferably 85 percent lean | 700g |
| ground pork | 200g |
| stale country breadcrusts removed | 120g |
| dry red winefor soaking the bread | 120ml |
| medium onionfinely grated | 1 |
| garlic clovesminced | 4 |
| large egg | 1 |
| fine sea salt | 12g |
| ground cumin | 2 tsp |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 tsp |
| ground cinnamon | 1/4 tsp |
| flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped | 40g |
| plain flourfor dusting | 60g |
| extra virgin olive oilfor browning | 90ml |
| extra virgin olive oilfor the sauce | 2 tbsp |
| small onionfinely chopped | 1 |
| garlic clovesthinly sliced | 2 |
| crushed ripe tomatoes or good canned crushed tomatoes | 800g |
| dry red winefor the sauce | 120ml |
| tomato paste | 1 tbsp |
| cinnamon stick | 1 |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| sugar (optional)only if the tomatoes are sharp | 1 tsp |
| fine sea saltplus more as needed | 1/2 tsp |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/4 tsp |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped, to finish | 2 tbsp |
Equipment Needed
- •wide heavy frying pan or shallow braiser, 30cm
- •large mixing bowl
- •rimmed tray for shaping
Instructions
- 1
Soak the bread
Put the bread in a small bowl and pour over 120ml red wine. Leave it for 10 minutes, then squeeze it gently so it is damp, not dripping. This soaked crumb is the heart of the tenderness. It holds moisture through the simmer, so the soutzoukakia stay soft instead of tightening into rubber.
- 2
Mix the meat
In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, soaked bread, grated onion, minced garlic, egg, salt, cumin, pepper, cinnamon, and parsley. Mix with your hands for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture feels sticky and evenly seasoned. Cover and chill for 20 minutes so it firms enough to shape cleanly.
The cumin should be clear but not bullying. If it disappears, the dish loses Smyrna; if it takes over, you've buried the meat. - 3
Shape the ovals
Shape the mixture into 18 oval meatballs, each about 50g, longer than ordinary keftedes and slightly flattened. Set them on a tray. Dust them lightly in flour and shake off the extra, because a heavy coat muddies the sauce.
- 4
Brown the soutzoukakia
Heat 90ml olive oil in a wide heavy pan over medium-high heat. Brown the soutzoukakia in batches, 1 to 2 minutes per side, just until they take color. They do not need to cook through now. Move them to a plate and keep the pan nearby.
- 5
Start the sauce
Pour off any scorched flour, leaving about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Add the chopped onion and cook over medium heat for 6 minutes, until soft and pale gold. Stir in the sliced garlic for 30 seconds, then add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until it darkens slightly.
- 6
Simmer the tomato
Add the red wine and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and sugar if your tomatoes need it. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.
- 7
Finish in sauce
Nestle the browned soutzoukakia into the sauce in one layer. Spoon sauce over the tops, lower the heat, cover loosely, and simmer for 20 minutes, turning them once. The sauce should bubble lazily, not boil hard. If it tightens too much, add a splash of water.
- 8
Rest and serve
Take out the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Rest the pan off the heat for 10 minutes so the meat and sauce settle together. Finish with chopped parsley and serve with rice, fried potatoes, or a piece of bread for the red sauce.
Chef Tips
- •Use beef with some fat and a little pork if you can. All very lean meat makes a tight soutzoukaki, no matter how kind your hands are.
- •Good tomatoes matter. In summer, use ripe grated tomatoes if they are sweet and heavy. Out of season, a good canned crushed tomato is the honest Greek kitchen's answer.
- •Serve with rice or fried potatoes. Both are correct, because the sauce is not decoration. It is half the dish.
Advance Preparation
- •Mix and shape the soutzoukakia up to 12 hours ahead, then cover and refrigerate.
- •The finished dish keeps well for 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently with a spoonful of water so the sauce loosens without breaking.
- •You can brown the meatballs earlier the same day and finish them in the sauce before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 315g)
Calories
625 calories
Total Fat
39 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
25 g
Cholesterol
135 mg
Sodium
1080 mg
Total Carbohydrates
31 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
8 g
Protein
34 g
Where cooking meets culture.
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary ExplorerMore from Greek Stews & Braises (Kokkinista)
Browse the full collection
Chef Dimitra
Central Macedonian Arni Fricassee (Αρνί Φρικασέ Μακεδονίας)
Central Macedonia's spring lamb fricassee braises shoulder with romaine, dill, and spring onion, then finishes the pot with avgolemono, the egg-lemon sauce that makes it silk.
Chef Dimitra
Chania Tsigariasto (Χανιώτικο Τσιγαριαστό)
In Chania, tsigariasto is goat or lamb browned in olive oil, softened with wine, and left to braise without water until the pot gives back only glossy meat juices.
Chef Dimitra
Cycladic Htapodi Stifado (Χταπόδι Στιφάδο)
Cycladic octopus stifado is the fasting table's stew: octopus cooked first in its own liquor, then braised with pearl onions, red wine, vinegar, and warm spice.