Albondigas

Albondigas is one of my favorite meals. I have strong memories of my mom making this for us as kids. It was a favorite soup served over rice and sometimes with a dollop of sour cream stirred in.

I used 1 pound ground beef, 4 smaller potatoes, 1 carrot, 1/2 onion, 4 cloves garlic, salt, pepper, garlic powder. I made white rice on the side but this would also be good with boiled noodles.

Begin by chopping onion and garlic, and sauteeing in a pot with a little oil. Cook for a few minutes until the onion starts to get translucent. Top with 3-4 cups water and allow it to get to a boil while you prepare the rest.

I like decent chunks of potatoes and carrots in this, but feel free to chop them up however you like. Basically what I do is slice in half, then half again, and finally another half and slice across, like with the potatoes above.

The picture for the raw meatballs didn't come out, but what you want to do with this is add salt, pepper, garlic powder to the ground beef. Then mix it all by hand until incorporated.  Take pieces of the ground beef and roll in your hands. You are shooting for ping pong ball sized balls. You can also use raw sausage since this is already seasoned.

This is important: before adding the meatballs, make sure the water is boiling. The reason for this is the heat will kind of "sear" the meatballs so they stay uniform. If you started them cold and simmering in the water they are more likely to fall apart. Add the carrots and potatoes and lower to a simmer. let this go for 20 min over medium-low heat. The water should barely cover the ingredients.

Add noodles or cooked rice at the end.  You can also add a dollop of sour cream which gives it a creamy slightly stroganoff quality. You can add any other veggies or even make the broth tastier by cooking some bacon with the garlic and onion in the beginning. A comforting, easy dish for the winter :)