Albóndigas are originally a Spanish tapas item usually served in a bar with a beer. While there are many different ways to make meatballs, this recipe draws from a variety of Mexican recipes with a few added spins.
The term Mexicana is applied to dishes that feature ingredients that reflect the colors of the Mexican flag: red, white, and green.
Typically this means tomatoes, green chilies, and white onions. At many restaurants you can find chicken or beef Mexicana and expect to be served a plate of meat that has either be stewed or fried in these three basic ingredients.
The most important part of a meatball, is the meat. Most chefs will tell you to use a variety of different meats in a meatball. A common trinity is veal, pork, and beef used in equal parts.
In order to make this a Mexican dish, the meats of choice here are ground beef, and then two types of sausage from a local market: chorizo and longaniza.
Mexican chorizo is based loosely on the chorizo fresco, an uncooked version of the Spanish chorizo. This is typically made from pork, but beef versions exist as well.
Mexican chorizo is available in Spanish markets in the United States, but folks in Europe and elsewhere may have trouble finding this item. A substitute for this is spicy Italian sausage.
Mexican longaniza is not entirely dissimilar to the chorizo. The main difference is that the meat filling can include poultry as well and the spicy blend tends to be a little milder.
A turkey sausage, or a sweet Italian sausage can be substituted.
Albóndigas Mexicanas or Mexican Meatballs
Meatball
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 lb. uncooked chorizo (see above for substitutes)
- 1/2 lb. uncooked longaniza (see above for substitutes)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (or more as needed)
- 1/2 minced onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cup of chopped parsley
- 1/2 minced red pepper
- 1/2 cup milk (or more as needed)
Procedure
- In a small frying pan, fry onions, garlic, and peppers.
- In a large bowl combine meats, fried vegetables, and the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix thoroughly. It is possible to use a wooden spoon if raw eggs and meat makes you squeamish, but using your hands ensures a better mix and the addition of love.
- Roll a tablespoon or so into a small ball and drop into sauce (recipe follows). Simmer for an hour before serving. Some people like to fry or bake their meatballs before stewing. While this does deepen the flavor of the meatballs, it also makes a firmer texture. Try both ways if you want.
- Serve over rice.
Sauce
- One 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes, or a half dozen of diced tomatos
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 jalapenos diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure
- Fry onion, garlic, jalapenos in a medium saucepan.
- Add tomatoes and allow to stew for half an hour before adding meatballs.
- You can add a couple cups of beef or chicken stock to make sopa de albóndigas.
