BAKED MEATBALLS

A scary dish when you look at all that it entails, however ‘Souzoukakia’ or Baked meatballs tastes delectable. A real winter warmer. This recipe was shared in the July Feast magazine by the head chef of Xanthi, an eclectic Greek restaurant in the centre of Sydney. Alas, all of David Tsirekas' childhood inspired recipes require quite a number of steps and ingredients, however they are well worth the labour in the kitchen for a special occasion. I cannot express how much my mouth waters when I think of his caramel baklava ice-ream, Turkish stuffed eggplant and homemade filo pastry with cheese and spinach filling. Oh but if I had time to cook all day, I’d be 500 pounds but I would be so satisfied. 

INGREDIENTS

• 500g extra lean beef mince
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin & ground coriander
• 1 egg, beaten
• 100g polenta 
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary & dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup doongara rice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• coconut oil
• 1 red capsicum, finely chopped
• 400g red kidney beans 
• 100g reduced-fat feta cheese

Tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 810g diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander

COOKING 

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Prepare a casserole dish by greasing it with coconut oil. 

2. Combine mince, paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cumin & coriander and egg in a medium bowl. Knead until combined, then set aside. 

3. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Add onion, garlic and rosemary & oregano and stir until onion is soft. Add rice, cinnamon stick, stock and 1 cup water. Simmer until low heat, then change to medium heat and cook for 15 minutes or until stock is absorbed, making sure the saucepan is covered. Remove the lid and remove the cinnamon stick. Leave to cool. 

4. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce by all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is slightly thick. 

5. When rice mixture is cool, add to mince mixture and stir to combine. Shape the rice & mince mixture into 20-24 even sized meatballs, dusting well with polenta. Place the meatballs into the prepared casserole dish, pour the tomato sauce and sprinkle the capsicum and kidney beans on top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, covered, then remove the lid and add feta cheese. Bake for a further 10 minutes, then remove and serve warm. 

Serves / 8