Souzoukakia Smyrneika: İzmir-Style Meatballs in Tomato Sauce vs İslim Kebabı (Toothpick Kebab)

Both dishes start from nearly the same cumin-scented beef mixture of grated onion, garlic, egg and breadcrumbs, and both brown the meat before finishing it in tomato, yet they end up in very different places. Souzoukakia keeps the focus on the meatballs themselves: elongated and simmered gently in crushed tomatoes with bay leaf and a touch of sugar, they yield a rich, savory sauce with a hint of sweetness. İslim kebabı adds parsley and paprika to the meat, then wraps each small meatball in a fried eggplant slice and bakes the bundles under a quick sauce of grated tomato, bell pepper and tomato paste, so the very tender eggplant becomes as important as the beef.