Albondigas recipe

Meatballs in Saffron-Almond Sauce recipe

Albondigas Con Salsa de Almendras y Azafran

Ingredients

• 14oz/400 g ground beef
• 14oz/400 g ground pork
• 2 oz/50 g stale bread, without crusts (2 slices)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp minced onion
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 egg, beaten
• flour
• 1/3 cup/100 ml olive oil
• 40 almonds, blanched and skinned
• 1 slice bread (1 oz/25 g)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 10 peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp saffron
• 1 clove
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup/150 ml white wine
• 1 cup/250 ml meat or chicken stock
• lemon juice
• chopped parsley
• slivered fried almonds

Instructions

Combine the ground meats in a bowl. Soak the sliced bread in water or milk to cover until soft. Squeeze it out and add to the meat with the garlic, onion, parsley, salt, nutmeg and egg. Knead well to make a smooth mixture. Form into small balls. Roll the m in flour and fry very slowly in hot oil until browned on all sides. Remove and drain. The oil can be strained and used for the sauce.

Fry the almonds, bread and garlic in the oil until golden. Remove. In a mortar, crush the peppercorns, saffron, clove and salt. Add the toasted almonds, bread and garlic (or put it in a processor) with the wine to make a smooth paste. Combine this mixture in the pan with remaining oil and the stock. Bring to a boil, then add the fried meatballs. Simmer the meatballs for 20 minutes in the sauce, adding a little additional liquid if needed. Immediately before serving, add a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and a few slivered almonds.

Makes about 36 meatballs.

Saffron gives this meatball recipe a delicious flavour.

Award Winning Food writer Janet Mendel, author of ten books about Spanish cooking, provides a taste of Andalucía.