Albondigas - Mexican Meatball Soup

Austria and Sweden fry theirs; the Chinese like theirs steamed; while Poland covers them in gravy and Japan coats in Panko crumbs. In Vietnam, they float in brothy Pho; in Brazil, they are served over rice; in Iran, they are stuffed with a boiled egg, and in Greece -- mint leaves. In this week's recipe, The 99 Cent Chef does his meatballs the Latin way -- studded with rice and seasoned with cumin, and floating in a tomato broth loaded with vegetables.

 

I like meatballs. You can see for yourself by clicking on my past recipes: Ingmar Bergman Swedish Meatballs, a Meatball Sub, and my Lighter Than Air Meatballs & Spaghetti. Now you can add Albondigas Soup to the chalkboard menu.

The main spice is cumin, which is from the Middle East, but this dish actually originated in Spain. (Albondigas is Spanish for meatball.) When I don't have curry powder on hand, cumin gets me most of the way there. Cumin gives bland ground poultry a pungent and aromatic kick. And for stuffing meatballs, rice is a tasty change of pace.

My Albondigas is economical. Normally it's made with ground beef, but that is too expensive for this Chintzy Chef. I prefer to use deli case frozen ground turkey or chicken, which I normally get for about $1 per pound. And ground turkey is low in fat, so your soup will not be oily, like it would be at a regular Mexican restaurant.

Rice, potatoes, celery, onions and carrots can be bought cheaply anywhere. I also added Mexican squash, but zucchini or yellow squash is a tasty substitute. This dish is adaptable with whatever veggies you have on hand. I used cilantro because my neighborhood Latin market always has it on sale, but don't worry if you don't have it locally; this soup will be delish without it.  I like to change up my recipes by adding or dropping ingredients -- it will not be lacking, just different.

So give my Albondigas Soup a try. It is easy to do and tastes even better the next day.

Ingredients for Soup (about 4 servings)

• 8 cups of water - or combo of favorite broth and water.
• 8 ounce can of tomato sauce - okay to use any type of canned or fresh chopped tomatoes.
• 1 large potato - I used 2 small potatoes, cubed
• 1 large carrot - sliced
• 1 celery rib - sliced
• 1 whole onion - chopped
• 1 Mexican squash - okay to use zucchini or yellow squash, cubed.
• 1 tablespoon garlic - chopped fresh or from jar.
• 1 bunch cilantro - optional. Use half the bunch, and save some for plating.
• Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for Rice Meatball

• 1 pound or ground turkey or chicken - okay to use more expensive ground meat.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano - optional
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 cup of uncooked rice - I used brown but you can use white as well - For cooked rice use one cup, and reduce cooking time by going right to Final Cooking Directions.
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions for Meatballs
Start heating 8 cups of water in a large soup pot. In a large bowl add ground turkey (or chicken), egg, rice, dried oregano and ground cumin. Mix well.

The messy part is forming small meatballs - about 1 to 1.5 inch diameter each (and fits into a tablespoon). I made about 14 meatballs. If water is boiling, turn to low and carefully add each meatball to pot as you form them.

When all the meatballs are in the water, add chopped onion, celery, garlic and 1/2 of the chopped cilantro. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn up heat and bring to a boil, cover pot and reduce heat to low. (If you used cooked rice in meatballs then go right to next paragraph). Cook 1/2 hour for white rice or 45 minutes for brown rice. Turn meatballs a couple of times during cooking to make sure rice cooks through.

Final Cooking Directions
Add can of tomato sauce, and chopped potatoes, carrots and more cilantro (set aside a few sprigs for presentation) to soup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook 1/2 hour. Lastly, add zucchini or Mexican squash (or any quick cooking veggies you like), then cover and cook another 10 minutes, or until desired tenderness is reached. Serve hot with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro.

Deal of the Day - Italian Wedding Soup

This Deal of the Day is in miniature - tiny meatballs and rice grain-sized orzo pasta in a rich chicken broth. But if any Italian wedding served this canned soup as an entree, I think the cook would wind up in concrete boots!

I was drawn to try this item by the "All Natural*" labeling, and was curious what kind of soup is served at an Italian Wedding.

This can provides a filling one-pound, 3 oz. serving that's as good as Campbell's Chicken Soup. The most interesting thing is how small the meatballs are. They should be called meat pellets -- as the size is no bigger than a fingernail -- and the meat has an unexpected baloney-like texture. The best part is the broth, enhanced by the extra flavors of the chicken, veggies and herbs. The small, tender orzo pasta is soothingly soft.


I looked up this recipe by  Giada De Laurentiis (click here) on the internet: she uses endive, and instead of pasta, she whisks in a mixture of beaten eggs with parmesan - kind of like a Chinese Egg Drop Soup.

So while this soup may not be the meal you want just before your honeymoon, it is fine as late night bachelor or bachelorette food. On a scale of 1-9, 9 being best, I give All Natural Italian Style Wedding Soup by All American, a generous 5.

Meatball Sub

My latest recipe takes on a Bronx Italian Deli sandwich classic, the Meatball Sub. Forget about any other chef's recipe - mine whacks the competition, as theirs belong as buoys floating in the East River!

Meatballs made of  ground beef and pork sausage typically make for a heavy Italian meal, but I lighten things up by using budget-priced ground turkey. And I add plenty of flavor with Italian herbs and dried Parmesan cheese.

We don't have many Italian Delis in L.A., but I am fortunate to be recently working near one, Bay Cities Italian Deli (click here), on 1517 Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica.  It has an expansive deli case with all kinds of prepared pasta salads, cooked lasagna, and deli sandwiches made with fresh baked bread.

The bread for my Meatball Sub uses a great 99c Only Store find -- the Mexican rolls called Bolillos. (Grill them one minute for a crunchy crust.) The 99c Only Store usually has one-pound tubes of ground turkey in the frozen deli case, and most regular groceries sell the same kind of ground turkey for just over a dollar. French rolls also make a good sandwich bread, but you can use any type of firm dinner rolls.

For this recipe, I make a tomato sauce from scratch, but you can use any favorite sauce from a jar, can or box.

So try out The 99 Cent Chef's Meatball Sub - a recipe any NYC Italian mama would be proud to serve, and Buon appetito!

Ingredients for Meatballs (makes 4 sandwiches)

1 lb. ground turkey - okay to use ground beef, pork, chicken, or any combination.
1/2 cup of bread crumbs - or crumble a slice of any bread you have on hand.
2 tbsp. of dried Parmesan - optional.
2 tbsp. of milk
1 tbsp. total of dried Italian herbs - parsley, basil and/or oregano. I included fresh basil.
1 egg
Pepper to taste - I left out salt, as dried Parmesan has plenty for me.
1 tbsp. of oil for cooking.

4 bread rolls for sandwiches - Italian, Mexican, French or regular dinner rolls. I found 5 Mexican Bolillos rolls for 99.99 cents - which have an extra crunchy crust when grilled.
Optional to add sliced or grated cheese for final sub assembly - provolone, mozzarella or any cheese you like.

Directions for Meatballs
In a large pan add tablespoon of oil over medium heat. In a large bowl add ground turkey - pour off any liquid. Add the rest of the meatball ingredients. Mix well and form into two-inch balls (the meatball should not be too large or you will never wrap your mouth around the sub). Add each meatball to heated pan as you form it. Brown a couple sides of each meatball, about 15 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside after they are all browned - don't worry about cooking them all the way through, they will soon be simmering in tomato sauce.


Meatball Tomato Sauce
*1 large (about 1 lb., 12 ounce) can of tomato sauce - okay to use whole or chopped tomatoes. Any type that is on sale, and with any pre-added herbs and mushrooms.
1/2 chopped onion and bell pepper
1 tbsp. of chopped garlic 
1/2 cup of white or red wine - for extra flavor, optional. Okay to use a chicken or beef bouillon cube.
1 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs - including basil, parsley, and/or oregano. I used fresh garden basil and dried oregano.

Directions for Tomato Sauce

In the same pan you browned the meatballs in, add chopped onion, bell pepper and garlic. Pour in a splash of wine or some tomato sauce to scrape loose browned bits in the pan. Saute veggies until soft, about 5 minutes. Add all the tomato sauce and wine. Since I used canned diced tomatoes, about halfway through cooking I crushed the tomatoes and veggies with a potato masher, to make a smoother sauce.

Final Cooking Directions
Add meatballs to tomato sauce, cover and cook over low heat for about half an hour. Uncover and cook until sauce is reduced by half and thickened, about another 10 minutes.

*If you are doing a simple sauce without veggies, then cook canned tomato sauce with meatballs uncovered until sauce thickens, about 10-20 minutes. Turn off heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes -- so you don't burn yourself with the first bite!

I like to toast the bread. Assemble the meatball sub: spread some tomato sauce on sliced (toasted) bun, add a few meatballs (I fit three per bun), and top with mozzarella (or any cheese). If you like extra melted cheese, then pop sandwich into a preheated 350 degree oven, or toaster oven, for a minute.

Lighter Than Air Meatballs

The 99 Cent Chef has a way with meatballs; riffing by adding spinach with unique 99 cent meat combinations. Mixing breakfast sausage and ground turkey makes a meatball so light it almost floats off the plate.

99c only Stores carry prepackaged fresh spinach, so it's a natural progression to blend the side dish into the entree -- combining sauteed spinach and meatballs.

For a simple sauce, chop up those once-fresh tomatoes that are going soft hanging out in the bottom of your vegetable crisper and add them to 99 cent canned tomato sauce.


Ingredients (serves 4 - 6)
1 lb. ground 99 cent ground turkey
1 lb. 99 cent breakfast pork sausage
1 6 oz. package spinach
1 egg
1/2 bell pepper (optional) chopped
1 onion chopped
1 stalk celery (optional) chopped
2 tbsp. crushed garlic
2-3 slices toasted bread
2 tbsp. Italian herbs, fresh or dried, including basil, oregano and parsley
1 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup half and half or any milk
1 cup 99 cent cabernet sauvignon (red wine) for deglazing
1 28 oz. can of crushed or diced, tomato sauce and any tomatoes too old for a salad - for meatball sauce

Directions
In a large pan or pot, saute bell pepper, celery, onion and garlic for 5 - 7 minutes in a tablespoon of oil. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, a couple more minutes. 

In a large bowl mix sauteed veggies, ground turkey, pork sausage, egg, milk and toasted bread. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add 1 tbsp. dried herbs. Form meat mixture into meatballs, any size you like (I've gone with large ones) and add to the heated pan. 

Brown the meatballs about 5 - 10 minutes each side; you may need to do it in a couple of batches. Partially covering the pan helps firm up the meatballs by steaming, thus making them easier to turn without breaking apart. 

Deglaze pan with 99 cent red wine; add chopped tomatoes (optional,) tomato sauce, one tbsp. dried Italian herbs and meatballs. Cover and low simmer meatballs in sauce for 1-2 hours until sauce is reduced by half. Serve over your favorite pasta.