Sunday, February 6, 2011

Albondigas Soup



I was watching a Food Network Chef make this lovely soup over the weekend and decided to add it to my repertoire. I looked at her recipe and a bunch of others and came up with my own method. It is delicious and not really that time consuming, especially if you use canned broth or in my case had some chicken broth in the freezer. The addition of the whole Jalapeno adds a bit of spice but not too much!

I had to tweak the recipe a bit and I added more vegetables to make it a bit heartier and healthier!

Meatballs
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb chorizo sausage or Hot Italian Sausage which is what I used
1 egg, beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Albondigas Soup
8 cups chicken broth (home made if you have it)
1/2 cup onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, cut in chunks
1 (16 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup cilantro
2 large zucchini, sliced
2 small Yukon Gold potatoes, diced into cubes
3 carrots peeled and sliced
1 whole Jalapeno Pepper
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 tbl tomato paste
salt pepper

Directions

Make the meatballs first:

Combine the meats, beaten egg, 2 minced garlic cloves, cilantro, salt, pepper and cumin

Form meatballs and roll between your palms or use a 2 inch scooper, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, remove and let cool

In the meantime combine chicken broth, tomatoes and their liquid, cumin, oregano, Jalapeno Pepper and cilantro leaves in a large pot.

Bring to broil, and reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add in your vegetables (except zucchini) and let simmer for 10 minutes, then add your rice and zucchini and let cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the rice is cooked

Add the meatballs and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes and serve (be sure and remove the Jalapeno) To keep the veggies and rice from getting overdone, I suggest you cool this soup down immediately. (I fill the sink up with a bit of ice water and let it cool down there)

14 comments:

MaryBeth said...

Not my kind of soup but Ed on the other hand is all over it.....

tamilyn said...

I'm thinking it would end up "Tamigas" if I ate it, but Dude would probably love it!

teresa said...

so much good stuff going on in that soup!

Sophia Leeh said...

Which chef was that? Robin Miller?

I've never heard of an albondigas soup before...it looks bright and flavorful, and I esp love the sound of that meatball with the chorizo in it!

Unknown said...

Beautifully done, woman! Looks amazing!

Debbie said...

Looks delicious and I love the spice in it!

Lyndas recipe box said...

This soup looks fantastic Cheryl; it's even hearty enough that my husband would like it. I've bookmarked it to try as I'm always looking for new soups to try!

Marjie said...

Soup is a perfect thing to think about right about now, when we have "warmed up" to 16 degrees! I love all the meat in this soup.

Foodiewife said...

OMG! There's was a restaurant, in my town, that made the best albondigas soup I've ever had. Sadly, they quit the business. You reminded me that I need to try and replicate it. I like your version a LOT!
PS: Your pics are great, girlfriend!

Unknown said...

Mmm - that sounds delicious!! I love these kinds of hearty, chunky soups! Although probably not the kind of thing for us now in the middle of blazing hot summer...but I'll keep it in mind for winter! In fact, I keep thinking I'd like to come and look thruogh your blog for some ideas coz I always seem to be cooking the same things...although I don't know if my cooking skills could ever do your recipes justice!! :-)

Hsin-Yi (& Honey the Great Dane)

Pam said...

That soup is screaming my name - it looks fantastic. Great photo Cheryl.

The Blonde Duck said...

I've always wanted to make this!

Biz said...

I've actally never thought of using chorizo sausage in my meatball mixture - spicy goodness!

grace said...

i love rice in soup--it becomes so soft and bloated and infused with flavor! great soup, cheryl--the sausage is key!

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