Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Soutzoukakia with Rice


Soutzoukakia with Rice

Sometimes a recipe doesn't suit your tastebuds or just doesn't quite work.  When that happens, it's hard to know whether to bother with it again or not.  A friend of mine tried this recipe and it didn't work for her, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Indeed, the recipe as printed in Meat on the Menu doesn't seem quite right, as per the comments on the Forum.  I personally also found the meatballs a little bland, but the sauce was a winner.  There was also far too much rice for 4 people, so I've reduced the quanitity.  The boys ate their dinner like there was no tomorrow and really loved it, so I imagine we'll be having it again when the weather's a little cooler.

The disclaimer I need to add at this point though is that I am not Greek.  (Although, a few years ago though we went to our friend's daughter's Greek Orthodox baptism and, after the amazing lunch that followed, I came home wishing I was!)  I have no idea if this recipe actually still resembles soutzoukakia or if it's now just tasty meatballs.  So, with due respect to the original recipe, here's my version. 


Soutzoukakia with Rice

(adapted from Meat on the Menu)

Ingredients:-

*  2 slices bread
*  3 cloves garlic
*  Handful parsley
*  1 tsp ground cumin
*  1/2 onion
*  1 tbs vege stock
*  40g white wine
*  50g olive oil
*  500g beef or lamb, cubed
*  200g medium grain rice

Sauce:-

50g olive oil
*  2 cloves garlic
*  1/2 onion
*  400g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
*  40g white wine
*  2 tbs vege stock
*  300g passata
*  1 tbs plain flour
*  Water to top up

Preparation:-

1.  Soak the rice for 4-6 hours.  Rinse and drain.

2.  If your meat is frozen, allow it 5-10 minutes to defrost.  If your meat is fresh, pop it into the freezer for about 20 minutes.

3.  You can make the meatballs in advance.  I did them first thing in the morning and sat the Varoma in the fridge, ready to pop on when we got home and I started the sauce.

Method:-

Meatballs:-

1.  Place meat into TMX and mince by pressing Turbo button for 1 second.  Repeat 3-4 times until the meat resembles the texture you like.  (The general tip is that if the machine stops shuddering when you press turbo, it's done.)  Set the mince aside.

2.  Place bread, parsley, garlic, cumin & onion into TMX bowl.  Chop for 6 seconds on Speed 6.

3.  Add vege stock, wine, oil and mince.  Combine, on reverse, for 10 seconds on speed 7.

4.  Shape beef into patties in a small sausage shape and place into Varoma dish & tray.

Sauce:-

1.  Place onion and garlic into TMX bowl and chop for 2-3 seconds on speed 5.

2.  Add olive oil and saute on 100° for 2 minutes on speed 1 with MC removed.

3.  Add wine, tomatoes, passata and stock.  Add enough water to ensure sauce ingredients reach just above the 1L mark in the bowl.

4.  Place soaked, rinsed and drained rice into the basket.  Place basked into the TMX bowl and set the Varoma into position.  Cook on Varoma temp for 30 minutes on speed 4.

5.  Remove meat from Varoma dish and place into Thermoserver to keep warm.  Remove basket, give rice and stir and test how well it is cooked (this will vary, depending on the type of rice you've used).  If necessary, add about another 150g of water to the sauce, to allow for further cooking of the rice.


6.  Replace rice basket back into TMX bowl and continue to cook on Varoma temp for 6-10 minutes on speed 4.  (At this stage, if you have greens you wish to serve with your dish, you can pop them in the Varoma and steam them while the rice is finishing off.)

7.  Remove rice.  Add flour to sauce and blend for 20 seconds on speed 6.  Cook, with the MC removed, on 100° for 2 minutes on speed 1.

To serve:-

Serve rice with patties and extra sauce spooned over the top.

Tips:-

*  The sauce does stain the rice red.  It isn't the prettiest dish you'll ever make, but it is tasty.

*  The cooking time of the rice will vary depending on the type and quality of your rice.  I use organic basmati (it's the only white rice I keep in the house other than aborio and I couldn't be bothered buying rice in specially - it may not "go", but it tasted fine.). 

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