ALBONDIGAS EN CALDO RECIPES

Steps:

• Place the ground meat in a bowl, then add the rice, the eggs and a handful of chopped mint leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
• Mix all the ingredients until combined.
• Make 24 meatballs and place them on a plate.
• Cut tomatoes and onions into pieces and place them in a blender together with the peeled garlic clove. Add a cup of water and blend until you achieve a smooth sauce.
• In a saucepan, heat the oil and pour in the tomato sauce. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add enough water (or chicken stock) for the broth, about 6 cups). Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
• When the tomato broth begins to boil, add the meatballs. Mix them gently until all meatballs are fully submerged into the broth.
• Boil for 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
• Meanwhile peel and cut the zucchini and carrots in the format you prefer (cubes, chunks, sticks). Add them to the broth and boil until the vegetables are completely tender, about 15-20 minutes.
• Adjust with salt, turn off the heat and add the oregano, mix. Serve.

Steps:

• Prepare the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, rice, mint, garlic, salt and pepper. Using your hands, gently mix until well combined. Pinch off 2-ounce portions and gently roll between your palms to form golf ball-size rounds, transferring rounds to a sheet pan. (You should have about 28 meatballs.)
• In large pot, combine the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery and potato; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves, oregano and cumin, and cook over medium, stirring frequently, until fragrant and tomato paste starts to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer over high.
• Once the stock begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low. Carefully add the meatballs, one by one, distributing them evenly in the pot until they’re all submerged. If necessary, reduce the heat to reach a low simmer (this will keep the meatballs tender), and cook until the meatballs and rice are cooked through, about 40 minutes. (Resist the urge to stir for the first 20 minutes, otherwise you risk breaking the meatballs apart before they’ve firmed up.) Skim any impurities from the surface as the soup simmers.
• Season to taste with salt. Divide the soup among bowls, about four or five meatballs per portion, and set out bowls of whatever garnishes you like.