Meatballs (Albóndigas). The idea is to flavor the meatballs with fresh mint and then let them simmer in a sweet tomato sauce. This tomato-mint combo doesn't make many appearances in Mexican cuisine, but it's surprisingly refreshing so don't let its rarity scare you off. Authentic albondigas are a quick and popular tapas dish that can also work well as a mid-week meal for all the family served with rice or pasta.

The meat is then mixed with a variety of seasonings and white rice and then cooked in a tomato-chipotle salsa. The meatballs are cooked in the salsa along with potatoes, carrots, and/or squash. Beef meatballs, or albondigas, are simmered with lots of fresh vegetables in this old-fashioned soup that's perfect for a cold, rainy day. You can cook Meatballs (Albóndigas) using 20 ingredients and 5 steps. Here is how you cook that.

Ingredients of Meatballs (Albóndigas)

It's 2 of medium onions.
You need 2 cloves of garlic.
You need 2 of whole cloves.
Prepare 1 of small glass of white wine.
You need 1 of little flour.
It's of Salt and pepper.
You need 1 of Carrot.
Prepare 1 of bayleaf.
You need of Tomato puré or tomate frito.
You need of Half a stock cube.
Prepare 400 g of minced chicken or turkey.
It's 100 g of minced bacon.
You need 1 of desertspoon pinenuts (optional).
Prepare 1 tsp. of chopped fresh parsley.
You need 3 of desertspoons soya sauce.
Prepare 2 of desertspoons bread crumbs.
You need 1 tsp. of oregano.
It's of Olive oil.
Prepare 2 of small, ripe tomatoes.
Prepare 1 of small cup of peas.

According to our trusty friends at Wikipedia, "Albóndigas are thought to have originated as a Berber or Arab dish imported to Spain during the period of Muslim rule. Spanish albóndigas can be served as an appetizer or main course, often in a tomato sauce. Albóndigas, meatballs made in the Mexico City style, get rolled and then dropped into a pot of tomato sauce seasoned with chipotle. The large pot simmering behind the albóndigas has a green mole in it.

Meatballs (Albóndigas) step by step

Mix the minced chicken or turkey with the minced bacon. Grate one onion and chop or crush one clove of garlic. Add the grated onion, chopped garlic, soya sauce, oregano, pinenuts and breadcrumbs to the meat, and mix all ingredients together very very well..
Make small balls with the mixture - about the size of a large marble. Coat them lightly in the flour (get a bowl, put some flour in and roll each ball around) and put all the balls on a large plate until you are ready to fry them..
Now make the sauce. Cut up the other onion and chop the other garlic, and put both of them in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil, the fresh parsley and some salt and pepper. Fry gently until they are soft, and then chop the 2 tomatoes and add them. Finally grate the carrot and add that too. Add the white wine and the cloves, half a stock cube dissolved in half a cup of water, the peas, a bayleaf and a bit of tomato puré (or tomate frito if you live in Spain). Stir well and put on a low heat..
Put some olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, enough to cover the bottom of the pan, and fry the meatballs until they are brown all over. You don't have to use lots of oil - turn them over so that they cook on all sides, and make sure the heat isn't too strong, otherwise they might burn. You will probably need to fry them in two or three batches, depending on the size of your frying pan. As each batch is ready, put the meatballs straight into the pan with the sauce and when they are all done and in the pan, leave them to simmer in the sauce for about half an hour..
You can serve the meatballs on their own as a tapas dish, or as a main course accompanied by a green leafy salad and/or a red pepper salad..

Isabel makes it herself every day, crushing pumpkin seeds with herbs, fresh greens, and serrano chiles and slowly cooking pork in the thick. This Easy Mexican Meatballs Recipe is packed with Latin Food flavors like red chile, Mexican oregano and fresh cilantro. The tender balls of beef or pork are simmered in sauce and ready to spoon on top your favorite meatball recipe. Giant Cuban meatballs that put many Italian meatballs to shame! This is a OK meatball soup.