Boulettes de Smyrne (Soutzoukakia)

Tear the bread into pieces and soak it in the milk for a few minutes, then squeeze out the excess liquid with your hands and crumble it into a large bowl. This keeps the meatballs soft and moist instead of dense.

• 2 slices (80 g) stale bread
• 125 ml milk

✅ C'est prêt quand : the bread is soft and no longer dry in the centre

Add the ground beef, grated onion, garlic, egg, cumin, oregano, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper to the soaked bread and mix with your hands until just combined (overmixing makes them tough). Shape into small oblong, torpedo-shaped meatballs about the length of a finger, then chill them for 15 minutes so they hold their shape.

• 600 g ground beef
• 1 small grated onion
• 3 cloves grated garlic
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

✅ C'est prêt quand : the mixture is evenly bound and the meatballs feel firm, not sticky