This week we’re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a trio of meatball recipes from Spanish-speaking kitchens.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
That’s all I knew growing up on the East Coast. Even with regional variations, meatballs usually arrived in red sauce with plenty of pasta.
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Then I moved to Texas and discovered caldo de albóndigas. It may not appear on restaurant menus all over the city, but many local home cooks have their own version. Typically served in a thin broth — often filled with vegetables such as squash and potatoes — it’s far removed from the Italian American meatballs of my youth. The dish taps into flavors with centuries-old roots.
The word “albóndigas” has deep roots of its own. It entered Spanish from the Arabic “al-bundaq,” commonly translated as “hazelnut” or “little round ball,” during the period of Islamic rule in Spain.
I had no idea of that linguistic lineage the first time I walked into a Subway and ordered a meatball sub. Some 35 years later, I still enjoy the same order, with extra green peppers, black olives and tomato slices. But my understanding and appreciation, particularly of the ways meatballs have moved through the Spanish-speaking world, have grown considerably since those early days.
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This week, I’m digging deeper into the ways meatballs have spread across the world. And with Hispanic Heritage Month beginning Sept. 15, I’m keeping the flavors firmly rooted in Spanish-speaking kitchens. One recipe draws on ancient Spanish culinary traditions, where a blend of almonds and bread provided a creamy base. Another comes from the Caribbean, where olives, capers and herbaceous sofrito define the special sauce. And because this is San Antonio, just 150 or so miles from the Mexican border, chipotle peppers cannot be ignored in a classic recipe for albóndigas en chipotle.
For me, an enthusiastic home cook, there was one big takeaway. I’m used to browning meatballs before adding them to a sauce, which is what I did with the almond-sauced chicken meatballs. In the Caribbean and Mexican preparations, raw meatballs were added directly to a simmering broth. While that method sacrifices some of the deeply caramelized flavor, the gentle cooking of the meat mixture ensures near-perfect orbs of protein that haven’t flattened out on a few sides while browning.
As September rolls into the fall, any of these dishes will provide a soulful, hearty meal fit to feed a hungry family.
Spanish Albóndigas de Pollo en Salsa de Almendras uses a blend of almonds and toasted bread to thicken the sauce.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
Spanish Albóndigas de Pollo en Salsa de Almendras
This recipe pays tribute to the oldest of Old World techniques, with a base of blanched almonds and slices of baguette creating a sauce similar to one more commonly found in the Mexican dish chiles en nogada. Instead of tomato, its bright acidity comes from white wine. The resulting sauce is incredibly luxurious, without feeling overly fatty.
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1 pound ground chicken
1 large egg
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup blanched skinless almonds
3-4 small baguette slices
3 garlic cloves (peeled but whole)
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
Instructions: Thoroughly mix the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, minced garlic and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Wet your hands slightly, and roll the meat mixture into small, 1-inch meatballs.
Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken meatballs for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden on all sides. Remove them from the pan. You’ll finish cooking them through later in the sauce.
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Toast the blanched almonds and baguette slices in the same pan with the remaining oil until golden brown. Add the 3 whole garlic cloves during the final 60 seconds. You want them to brown slightly, but not burn. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender, and add the wine and a splash of the chicken stock. Blend the mixture on a high speed until completely smooth.
Pour the blended mixture back into the skillet and whisk in the remaining chicken stock. Adjust seasoning to taste. Gently add the meatballs to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Cover and let the meatballs cook for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through and the sauce has thickened into a velvety texture.
Recipe by Paul Stephen, Express-News Taste team
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Mexican Albóndigas en Chipotle have a fiery burn and bright, acidic tang.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
Mexican Albóndigas en Chipotle
This dish will taste like home in South Texas, with smoky chipotle chiles and tangy tomato forming the sauce. While entirely optional, many cooks add a piece of hard-boiled egg to the center of each meatball for a textural surprise.
1 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, whole
1/2 large white onion, cut into chunky wedges
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 whole chipotle peppers in adobo (plus 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup chicken stock
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 cup cooked long-grain white rice (cooled)
1 large egg
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
2 chopped hard-boiled eggs (for stuffing)
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Instructions: Start by placing the tomatoes, onion and garlic cloves directly onto a hot, unoiled comal or into a heavy skillet. Let the vegetables toast until the tomato skins begin to blister and char. Remove the ingredients from the comal and peel the garlic cloves. Transfer the charred vegetables to a blender and add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce and chicken stock. Blend on high speed until completely smooth.
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, ground pork, cooked rice, raw egg, chopped mint and season to taste with salt and pepper. Take a golf-ball-size portion of the meat mixture and flatten it in your palm. Place a small piece of hard-boiled egg in the center, and wrap the meat around it, making sure it’s securely sealed inside.
Pour the blended chipotle and tomato sauce into a wide pot over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Gently drop the stuffed meatballs straight into the bubbling sauce. Cover the pot, lower the heat to medium-low, and let them cook in the sauce for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.
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Recipe by Paul Stephen, Express-News Taste team
Caribbean Albóndigas Guisadas has an intense herbal aroma courtesy of homemade sofrito.
Paul Stephen/San Antonio Express-News
Caribbean Albóndigas Guisadas
San Antonio isn’t the only place that loves a good guisada. This recipe comes straight from the Caribbean, where olives and capers provide a briny bite. A verdant and herbaceous sofrito made from cilantro and green bell pepper keeps this sauce tasting fresh, while carrots and potato add substance. A homemade sofrito (recipe below — you’ll have leftovers) will taste best, but feel free to use a jarred version from the grocery store to save time.
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1 large white onion
1 green bell pepper
4 garlic cloves
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 pound ground beef
1 large egg
2 tablespoons homemade (or jarred) sofrito
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
Salt and black pepper, to taste
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1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup homemade (or jarred) sofrito
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken stock
1 packet Sazón with achiote
2 tablespoons green olives stuffed with pimento, chopped fine
2 tablespoons capers, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
Instructions: To make the sofrito, blitz the onion, green bell pepper, garlic and cilantro in a blender or food processor until it forms a bright green, finely minced paste.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of sofrito, salt and pepper. Roll the meat mixture into roughly 1.5-inch meatballs.
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Heat the olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven. Add 1/4 cup of green sofrito paste and saute for 3 minutes until it becomes fragrant and translucent. Whisk in the tomato sauce, chicken stock, Sazón packet and chopped olives and capers into the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
Gently drop the raw meatballs, sliced carrots and cubed potatoes into the bubbling sauce. Cover the pot tightly and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. The starches from the potatoes will naturally thicken the tomato and sofrito broth into a rich, glossy stew.
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Recipe by Paul Stephen, Express-News Taste team
