These Smyrna-Style Baked Sausages. Both recipes were scrumptious – flavorful, interesting, and comforting. Together with the tangy tomato sauce, I tried them both on plain rice and whole wheat pasta with parmesan cheese – the pasta won hands down and was the most satisfying thing I’ve eaten all week. I will say that both the recipes I tried took a bit of time – they weren’t complex, but both required making and then combining multiple components, which resulted in great flavor… but lots of dishes. Other recipes on my shortlist that you may see around here in the future include Braised Lamb with Chickpeas and Tomato Sauce, Santorini Tomato Fritters, and Pan-Fried Semolina Cake.

The Country Cooking of Greece: Greek-Style Baked Sausages
The Country Cooking of Greece: Greek-Style Baked Sausages
The Country Cooking of Greece: Greek-Style Baked Sausages

The Country Cooking of Greece: Greek-Style Baked Sausages

Smyrna-Style Baked Sausages

Makes 10 small sausages.

Note: Diane suggests serving this over rice or bulghur, but I liked it best over whole wheat spaghetti with a little bit of parmesan. If you plan to use it as a pasta sauce rather than a side dish, you should double the sauce quantities that are written below.

For the sausages:

  • 1 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/3 c. coarsely chopped white onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 tsp paprkia
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 1/2 tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 egg
  • 2 TBS dry white wine
  • 1/4 to 1/2 c. dry bread crumbs (making your own is best!)
  • 2 TBS olive oil + some for frying
  • flour for dredging

For the sauce:

  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 c. dry red wine
  • 1 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes, roughly chopped and their juice
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Make the sausages: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the onions, garlic, and spices. Add the ground beef and use your hands to mix together. Add the egg and wine and knead well to combine. Add just enough of the bread crumbs so that if you form a ball with your hands it stays together. Mix in the olive oil, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. While the sausages are chilling, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the wine, chopped tomatoes, sugar, and red pepper flakes, and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Form the chilled sausage mixture into small sausages about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick. Place some flour on a plate and roll the sausages in the flour, then fry the sausages in batches, turning over gently part way through cooking to brown on all sides. Once cooked, place the sausages in a single layer in a baking pan, then cover with the tomato sauce. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Serve hot, with starch of your choice.

Dining and Cooking