Albondigas aka Mexican Meatballs

Albondigas (AKA) Mexican Meatballs in a Chipotle and Tomato Sauce

I tweeted advanced warning that some fiery recipes may be posted soon due to the arrival of two large packages of chipotle chillies from the postman. They are still quite difficult to get hold of in local supermarkets, I have stumbled across them occasionally but as my addiction to these hot smoky delights grow, I need a steady and more reliable supply that the internet provides.

Without meaning to bang on about these particular chillies, they are pretty integral to this dish. I have, when the need has arisen, made the sauce with alternatives but it never quite lives up to the smoky flavour, heat and rich earthiness that the chipotle adds to it. Feel free to reduce the quantity if you like or be brave and go for it. I'd give this a medium heat rating but I have built up a tolerance

This recipe makes enough for 4 hungry people but I’ve made this for parties of 10 or more, it’s quite time-consuming but well worth the effort. Try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

For the meatballs

300g lean beef mince
300g pork mince
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
50g breadcrumbs
1 egg
Oil to fry meatballs
Salt and pepper
Mixture made 28 meatballs, they may look like nothing special now, but read on.


For the sauce
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 soaked chipotle chillies, roughly chopped, seeds removed
¼ pint beef stock
¼ pint red wine
1 tin chopped tomatoes
100ml sieved passata
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley to serve

Method

• Soak chipotle chillies in hand hot water for about 20 minutes until softened. Retain soaking water.
• Fry off finely chopped onion with 1 bay leaf until softened, remove from heat and leave to cool completely.
• Once the onions are cool, mix beef, pork, onion, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and egg in a large bowl. Cover with clingfilm and leave to firm up in the fridge for an hour.
• Roll small balls of the mixture and fry gently in batches in sunflower oil until browned. See picture above.
• Set aside while making the sauce.
• In a clean large frying pan with a lid, saute the onion and garlic until softened but not brown. Add chopped chilli and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Add beef stock, red wine, tinned tomatoes, passata and soaking water from the chillies and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• Carefully blitz the sauce in a blender until smooth (I say carefully as I have sprayed my kitchen with chipotle sauce on more than one occasion).
• Return to pan and simmer until reduced and thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Gently add the meatballs, without stirring leave on low heat until cooked through, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
• Serve with rice or bread to soak up the delicious sauce.