Meatballs in tomato sauce with peppers

I've said before how versatile the Greek meatballs are... Here we have a very tasty Winter dish for Sunday dinner but not only. It is a great idea to use up the leftover meatballs from another day

Ingredients (for 4 people):
500gr. ground beef
1 tsp of dried spearmint
2 tbsp of ouzo
250gr. stale white bread (soaked in water and well drained)
2-3 tbsp of olive oil
1 medium onion, grated
salt
pepper
1 egg
2-3 tbsp of cooking oil

The tomato sauce:
2 tbsp of olive oil
3 red bell peppers, cut in strips
3 green bell peppers, cut in strips
4-5 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tin of concasseé tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of water
salt
pepper
pinch of sweet paprika

Method:
In a large bowl put together the ground beef, the onion, the bread, the spearmint, the egg, the ouzo, the oil, salt, pepper and 1-2 tbsp of water and mix the ingredients well with your hands. Cover the bowl with some cling film and leave in the fridge for half an hour.

Shape the mixture into medium size meatballs and leave aside. In a heavy-bottomed frying pan warm the cooking oil in medium heat and gently fry the meatballs until lightly coloured. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate and leave aside.

In a saucepan warm the olive oil in medium heat and sauté the peppers, the garlic and the spring onions until they get soft. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, the paprika and the water.

When the ingredients come to the boiling point, turn the heat to low and simmer the sauce for about 6-8 minutes. Add the fried meatballs and keep simmering for about 20-25 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve immediately with rice pilaf or fried potatoes and fresh crusty bread to mop up the tasty sauce.