Albondigas Soup

Circle B Kitchen

Adapted from “Mexican Family Cooking” by Aida Gabilondo

I made a few minor changes from the original recipe. I used ground turkey (not turkey breast) for the meatballs and they were wonderful. The original recipe calls for ground beef, so of course, use that if you prefer. The recipe also began the soup broth with a roux of lard and flour, but I didn’t think it added anything significant to the flavor or texture, so left it out of my final version.

Serves 8

For the meatballs:

2 lbs ground meat (I used ground turkey)

1 egg

½ cup masa harina mixed with 4 tablespoons of warm water

¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

For the soup:

1 ½ quarts of chicken stock

2 green onions cut into ½-inch pieces

(1) 4-ounce can diced mild green chiles

1 cup ripe unpeeled chopped tomatoes

¼ cup tomato sauce

4 garlic cloves, finely mashed

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Mix the meatball ingredients together, and knead once or twice to the consistency of soft dough. Make meatballs the size of a ping-pong ball and place them on a cookie sheet. Set aside

In a large pot, add the chicken stock, the green onions, chiles, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, and garlic. Boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Taste for salt and pepper. Add the cilantro.

While the broth is still simmering, drop in the meat balls and poach for 30 minutes over low heat, covered.

Serve in soup bowls or soup plates with about a cupful of broth. These meatballs can be cooked in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to reheat, and they freeze well.