Spanish Meatballs are made with a blend of veal and pork, rather than 100% minced beef. They are smaller than Italian meatballs. Albondigas are typically served in Tapas bars all over Spain (in the classic clay dishes) and often as the main course of the “Menu del Dia”, particularly in the colder months. Albondigas are made with various sauces (the most typical is the white wine sauce, and there are almond based and tomato based sauces as well). They are usually served on their own (not with rice or pasta).
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of Mince (¾ Beef or veal with ¼ Pork)
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 2 Eggs
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 3 ½ ounces Breadcrumbs
- Flour to coat meatballs
- Parsley
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Olive Oil for frying
Sauce:
- 1 Large Onion
- 1 cup White Wine
- Olive Oil for frying
Preparation:
Place the mince in a large bowel. In a separate smaller bowel, soak the breadcrumbs in the milk. Add two eggs to the breadcrumb mix, stirring with a wooden spoon. With a pestle and mortar, smash the garlic. Chop the parsley. Add the parsley and garlic to the breadcrumbs blend, and then place contents into the blender until fully smooth. Place all of the contents of the blender into the larger bowel of mince, stirring with a wooden spoon until fully blended. Now you will begin to form the meatballs. In your hand, take one or two tablespoons of the mince and roll it into a ball. Place the ball in a teacup, cover it with your hand, and shake. This gives the meatballs a good, round finish and makes them denser and more compact which will protect them from breaking apart when frying. Cover the balls in flour.
Once you have formed all of the meatballs, heat a deep pan and fill half way with olive oil. When the olive oil is extremely hot, place the meatballs in the pan and brown them entirely. Be careful not to burn the meatballs, keep turning them until they are browned. They don’t have to be cooked inside at this point.
In a separate pot, place a one inch deep layer of olive oil and heat. Finely dice the onions and add the onions to the hot pot. Fry the onions until golden and then add a tablespoon of flour to the pot. Stir in a bit more flour to thicken (before adding any liquid, otherwise the flour will become bumpy), and then add the white wine and 1 cup of water. Keep the pot on high heat and add the browned meatballs to the pot, covering them with a bit more water if necessary. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat to simmer for 30 minutes during which time the meatballs will cook fully inside. Add salt and pepper to taste.