Today's Recipe 1/17/2012

EASY RECIPE FOR SPANISH MEATBALLS(Albóndigas)

One of the more famous Spanish recipes, meatballs are often served in tapas bars as a snack or an appetizer. Spanish meatballs are made as a main dish at home. Albóndigas are also often offered as the starter in the set menu (menú del día) which Spanish restaurants are required to offer to customers. There are lots of recipies for Spanish meatballs - we think this one includes the best things from most of them!

Basic ingredients for 4 people

2 medium onions 2 cloves of garlic 2 whole cloves 1 small glass of white wine A little flour Salt and pepper 1 Carrot 1 bayleaf Tomato puré or tomate frito Half a stock cube

400g minced chicken or turkey 100g minced bacon 1 desertspoon pinenuts (optional) 1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley 3 desertspoons soya sauce 2 desertspoons bread crumbs 1 tsp. of oregano Olive oil 2 small, ripe tomatoes A small cup of peas

Steps: 1. Mix the minced chicken or turkey with the minced bacon. Grate one onion and chop or crush one clove of garlic. Add the grated onion, chopped garlic, soya sauce, oregano, pinenuts and breadcrumbs to the meat, and mix all ingredients together very very well. 2. Make small balls with the mixture - about the size of a large marble. Coat them lightly in the flour (get a bowl, put some flour in and roll each ball around) and put all the balls on a large plate until you are ready to fry them. 3. Now make the sauce. Cut up the other onion and chop the other garlic, and put both of them in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil, the fresh parsley and some salt and pepper. Fry gently until they are soft, and then chop the 2 tomatoes and add them. Finally grate the carrot and add that too. Add the white wine and the cloves, half a stock cube dissolved in half a cup of water, the peas, a bayleaf and a bit of tomato puré (or tomate frito if you live in Spain). Stir well and put on a low heat. 4. Put some olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, enough to cover the bottom of the pan, and fry the meatballs until they are brown all over. You don't have to use lots of oil - turn them over so that they cook on all sides, and make sure the heat isn't too strong, otherwise they might burn. You will probably need to fry them in two or three batches, depending on the size of your frying pan. As each batch is ready, put the meatballs straight into the pan with the sauce and when they are all done and in the pan, leave them to simmer in the sauce for about half an hour. 5. You can serve the meatballs on their own as a tapas dish, or as a main course accompanied by a green leafy salad and/or a red pepper salad.