Susou-ka-kia – Mrs Sarantides’s meatballs
Print recipeIngredients
- 2 or 3 slices 2-day-old white bread
- 60ml (1/4 cup) claret or other red wine
- 500g beef mince
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- olive oil
Note
This meatballs, or 'rissoles', recipe was passed down from Dorothea Sarantides to her granddaughter Kay. The wine gives the meatballs a bold and distinctive flavour. You can serve the meatballs with a tomato-based, pasta-style sauce if you wish.
Serves 4
Directions
| Lay the bread in a shallow dish. Pour the wine into the dish and allow it to soak into the bread for 15 minutes or so. Put the minced beef into a large bowl. Crumble the soaked bread over the mince, and add any remaining wine, the garlic and egg, and season to taste. Mix until fully blended. | |
| With clean hands, roll spoonfuls of the mixture into smallish balls or patties (makes about 15–20 meatballs or 4–6 patties depending on size). Fry the meatballs in batches in a lightly oiled frying pan until nicely browned all over. Once they have browned, return all the meatballs to the pan, cover with a tight-fitting lid and allow the meatballs to cook through, adding a little water to prevent them burning or sticking to the base of the pan. | |
| Serve hot, pouring any cooking juices over the meatballs, or European style with a tomato-based sauce poured over, or Australian style with relish or chutney on the side. | |