Meat rissoles with green olives

Name: Meat rissoles with green olives
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 1 onion, coarsely grated; 675 g/1½ lb/3⅓ cups minced/ground lamb or beef; 2–3 medium slices of bread, crusts removed; 15 ml/1 tbsp tomato paste diluted in 150 ml/¼ pint/⅔ cup hot water; 2.5 ml/½ tsp dried oregano; 400 g/14 oz canned chopped tomatoes; 12–16 green olives, rinsed and drained; 5 ml/1 tsp cumin seeds; 45 ml/3 tbsp olive oil; 45 ml/3 tbsp sunflower oil; 25 g/1 oz/¼ cup plain/all-purpose flour; salt and ground black pepper; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 15 ml/1 tbsp ground cumin

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Food & Cooking of Greece

By Rena Salaman

Published 2023

About

This delicious dish, soutzoukakia me elies, probably originated with the Greeks who came from Asia Minor after the catastrophic war with Turkey in 1922. It is ideal for entertaining, as it can be cooked in advance and reheated as needed. Serve the rissoles with plain rice, French fries or pasta.

Ingredients

2–3 medium slices of bread, crusts removed
675 g/1½ lb/

Asia
Europe
Turkey
Greece
Main course
Stew
September
Mediterranean
October
Autumn
August

Method

Soak the bread in some cold water for 10 minutes, then drain, squeeze it dry and place it in a large bowl. Add the meat, onion, garlic, cumin and egg. Season with salt and pepper, then mix either with a fork or with your hands, until blended.

Take a small handful – t