I’ve eaten this dish as a starter, main course and, on more than one occasion, as a substantial snack. The rissoles benefit from a long soak in the tomato sauce and in fact I actually prefer them reheated the following day. They will leave you craving for sunshine and ouzo!
preparation time 30 minutes
cooking time about 25 minutes
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
4 slices of bread
500 g (1 lb) minced beef or lamb
1 egg, beaten
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1⁄2 glass of dry white wine
75 g (3 oz) plain flour
vegetable oil for shallow-frying
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tomato sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
250 g (8 oz) tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato purée
a pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1⁄2 glass of dry white wine
1 Soak the bread in a little cold water, then squeeze it dry. Put it in a bowl with the minced meat, beaten egg, garlic, cumin and wine. Season with salt and pepper and mix together thoroughly.
2 Mould the mixture into 8 cylindrical shapes. Spread the flour on a plate and coat the rissoles in it.
3 Heat a thin layer of oil in a large frying pan, add the rissoles and cook until golden brown all over.
4 For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a wide pan, add the garlic, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes.
5 Season with the sugar and some salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and wine and simmer for 3–5 minutes.
6 Add the rissoles to the pan, turning them over so they are lightly coated with the tomato sauce. Cover and cook gently for 10 minutes and then serve.
In Greece lunch is quite substantial and is generally served fairly late, then followed by a three-hour siesta. I certainly find that a little snooze after a plate of rissoles is a good idea!