Soutzoukakia - Greek Smyrna Meatballs in Sauce

I found a couple of recipes for this Greek dish and liked several things about both recipes, so I used the one with less ingredients and added some ingredients from the other recipe to increase the flavor.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• For the Meatballs

• 1⁄2 cup white wine
• 2  slices  white bread, crusts removed
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed
• 1  small onion, minced
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1  teaspoon cumin, ground
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  dried greek oregano
• 1  egg, slightly beaten
• 1 1⁄4 lbs ground beef
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil (for frying)

• For the Sauce

• 1  medium onion, diced
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 24  ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1⁄4 cup white wine
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1  teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Pour wine over bread and soak for 10 minutes then mash with a fork. Add garlic, onion, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, all the cumin, oregano and egg. Add the meat and mix until well combined.
2. Shape into 18-20 oblong meatballs (the size doesn’t matter really, it’s just a tradition.) Heat olive oil in the pan over medium high heat. Fry the meatballs on all sides until brown. Remove them meatballs to a plate.
3. Add onions to the pan and cook until softened then add the garlic, tomatoes, wine, butter, remaining salt and pepper, and sugar to the pan. Stir to incorporate leftover oil. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the sausages/meatballs and cook over low heat for another 15 minutes. Serve hot alongside rice, potatoes or pasta.