"SoudZoukakia" - SmyRna Sausages

SoudZouKaKia(soo-tsoo-KAH-kyah). Huh???!!! Yeah,I know. The name is quite a mouthful.Almost all greek dishes are named that way.It also goes by the name SmyRna Sausage/Meatballs. This dish was brought to Greece by refugees from Smyrna, modern Izmir(Turkey). A typical Greek preparation made of spicy large and elongated meatballs with cumin, cinnamon and garlic, served in a characteristic tomato sauce.It is traditionally made with ground lamb but I have made this with ground turkey. Ground chicken would go equally well.
Sending this to Joanne's Greek-Themed Regional Recipes Event and to Presto Pasta Nights

Ingredients:

• Any Ground Meat - 1 1/2 pound ( I used Butterball Lean Ground Turkey)
• Stale Whole Wheat Bread - 2 slices, crumbed
• Onion - 1, large
• Garlic - 3 cloves, minced
• Mint - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
• Parsley - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
• Ground Cumin - 1 1/2 tsp
• All Spice - 1/4 tsp (Cinnamon Powder can be substituted)
• Salt for taste
• Cracked pepper - 1 1/2 tsp or less
• Egg - 1, whisked
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Bertolli Organic Olive Oil, Basil & Garlic Sauce - 1 1/2 cups

Procedure:

• In a large bowl, mix all of the above ingredients except the Bertolli Sauce and Olive oil.
• Knead the mixture like a dough for 5 minutes.If the mixture is mushy add crumb of another slice of bread.
• Refrigerate the mixture for an hour or so.
• Divide the mixture into 25- 30 even balls. 
• Shape each balls into oblongs(mini sausages).
• Shallow fry the sausages in a wide bottomed pan in olive oil 2 minutes per side or till its evenly browned.

• Mix the Bertolli sauce with a cup of water and add it to the pan.
• Lid the pan and cool the sausages in the pan for 10-12 minutes.
• Cook for 5 more minutes without the lid or until the sauce has thickened.

• Serve it with any pasta of choice.

Makes 25-30 mini sausages.

Note:

• A part of this can be frozen for up-to 2 weeks.