Albondigas Soup

I am a sucker for a recipe handed down by a grandmother. I love a Mom's recipe too but one from a grandmother makes me happy. There is something about the idea that a set of hands has been making this for two generations -- it HAS to be good. Which leads me to albondigas, which means meatball in Spanish. I read a couple of recipes for it.

Then I decided to make it with what I had on hand. That is another great thing about a grandma recipe, versatility.



Albondigas Soup

For the meatballs:
One onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
One tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken
1 cup cold cooked white rice
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon crushed oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the soup
One tablespoon olive oil
One onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon crushed oregano
1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 32 ounce cartons of broth
1 16 ounce bag of frozen veggies (your choice)

For the meatballs
Saute the onion and garlic in the oil in a medium pan for about 3-5 minutes. Let come to room temperature. Combine with the rest of the other ingredients and form into meatballs.



For the soup
In your large pot, saute the onion and garlic in the oil until they break down, about 10 minutes. Add everything but the frozen veggies. Bring to boil. Drop the meatballs into the boiling soup. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cover for about 30 minutes.

About five minutes before serving, throw in the frozen veggies. Cover and bring up to a simmer.

Makes a vatful. For normal people, I recommend you halve the recipe. I cannot halve a recipe, I must double!