7 soups in 7 days: Volume 3 #6

ALBONDIGAS

This is a standard soup or "caldo" in just about every Mexican household. It is simple and humble made with easy to get ingredients: meat balls and root vegetables. Like most of the soup recipes that I publish... this one is quick and easy. Serve this Mexican classic in large over sized bowls, (that is how it is served in every Mexican restaurant.) Serve with a plate of chopped onion, cilantro, oregano, and chili flakes to use as optional garnishes.

Meatball mixture:

2 pounds ground chuck or sirloin

1 cup bread crumbs

1 minced onion

2 eggs 2 teaspoons cumin

2-4 minced cloves of garlic

salt & pepper

Mix well and use a small ice cream scoop to make uniformly shaped meatballs. Here is where you'll have a decision to make. You can 1.) cook the meatballs in a skillet with a little olive oil browning them on all sides. 2.) bake them off in the oven. 3.) drop uncooked meat balls directly into the simmering broth. With the exception of the latter, cook the meatballs and drain off any fat.

Stock and vegetables:

In 2 quarts of stock simmer

8 small peeled and quartered red potatoes

3 large coin or bias cut carrots

1 head of cabbage cut into large rustic pieces

1 onion

If you choose to drop raw meatballs into the simmering broth add them to the broth before adding the cabbage. If you choose this method add cabbage at the last 15 minutes of cooking. Depending on the size of the meat balls they should cook in the same amount of time as the vegetables. If you choose to cook-off your meatballs first add to the broth when the vegetables are almost tender. Cook meatballs in broth long enough to heat them through.