Albondigas a Comfort Food - Traditional Mexican Meatball soup
ALBONDIGAS - A COMFORT FOOD
TRADITIONAL MEXICAN MEATBALL SOUP
There is nothing as satisfying as a bowl of Mexican Albondigas on a cold day or at any time. It is what grandmothers, mothers and children pass on as a tradition for the family table. It is a meal that is free of preservatives, low fat and just plain delicious. True Mexican Food. It is a little more time consuming because you roll the meatballs one at a time, this is a job that can be shared with another family member. Just make sure hands are washed well after handling raw meat, especially if your helper is a child.
INGREDIENTS:
FOR MEATBALLS:
1 Lb. ground beef. I use ground sirloin as I have found it is the meat lower in fat.
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/2 Tsp. ground pepper
1 Tsp. dry parsley
FOR BROTH:
1 Large onion, finely chopped
5 Large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 Large tomato, finely chopped
1 Medium, green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 Celery stalk, thinly sliced
The leaves of 5 coriander sprigs, chopped
1 Tbsp of dried parsley
4 Large potatoes, peeled cut into cubes. I use Yukon Gold potatoes as they are more flavourful
1 1/2 Liters of water
HOW TO:
By hand mix the ground beef with the salt, pepper and parsley. Once well blended, start rolling the meatballs (about tablespoon size - if you wish you can make them larger, it is just a matter of choice or taste.
In a large (5 or 8 quart) pot, sear your meatballs. You can take them out of the pot and place in a large bowl as they get seared, you don't want them to burn.
Once all your meatballs are seared, saute the onion, garlic, pepper and tomato until the onion looks transparent. Put the meatballs back into the pot and cook together for about 4 minutes to mix the flavours. Add the water, celery, coriander, parsley and potatoes. Season to taste and bring to a boil - about 30 minutes - or until the potatoes are soft enough to eat without letting them fall apart in the broth.
You can top your bowl of Albondigas with fresh, chopped cilantro/coriander.
Serve with rolls or french bread. Delicious, healthy comfort food.
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