Meatballs Like Mama Makes

Name: Meatballs Like Mama Makes (Albóndigas de Mi Mama)
Yield: At least 6 to 8 servings as a main-dish soup, more as a first course
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 garlic cloves, 3 minced and 1 left whole; 1 large ripe, red tomato, roasted, peeled, and chopped (or ¼ cup canned tomato puree if good tomatoes are not available); 8 cups Caldo de Pollo Casero; ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste; 2 fresh chiles, Anaheim or (for hotter flavor) jalapeño, roasted, peeled, and finely chopped; ¼ cup lard or vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon flour; 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves; Freshly ground black pepper to taste; 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves; ¼ cup masa harina; 4 medium-size scallions, white and some of green part, chopped; 1 pound lean ground beef or ½ pound each lean ground pork and beef; ¼ cup warm water

Albóndigas de Mi Mama

Preparation info

At least
6 to 8
servings as a main-dish soup, more as a first course

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Food from My Heart

By Zarela Martínez

Published 1992

About

This recipe calls to mind the llaves (outdoor water faucets) on the ranch, which were always surrounded with patches of yerba buena—“good herb,” or mint. Whenever my mother made albóndigas I would be sent out to pick some fresh for the soup. She always served it with freshly made corn tortillas, salsa casera (homestyle sauce), and refried beans with asadero (“roasting” cheese; the nearest thing here would be mozzarella).

Whenever my mother comes to

Ingredients

Americas
Mexico
Main course
Dinner
Starter
Spicy

Ingredients

Method