A favorite in Mexico is Albondigas, a light soup with hearty chunks of vegetables and small rice-filled meatballs.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef (or combination of 1/2 lb beef and 1/2 lb chorizo)
- 1/2 cup rice (uncooked)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 3 quarts chicken broth
- 4 stalks of celery, chopped
- 3 white onions, cut into quarters
- 1 bunch cilantro, leaves only
- 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped or sliced
- 2 cups greens (mustard, spinach or other)
- 2 teaspoons of oregano
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Preparation:
Mix ground beef with rice, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt and the crushed garlic. Form 1 1/2 tablespoons into a meatball by rolling it between your hands until it forms a ball. Do this with all of the meat until it is all formed into meatballs.
Bring broth to a boil in a large pot. Turn down to a slow simmer (where there are hardly any bubbles) and add in meatballs. Simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Add in the carrots, onion, cilantro, remaining spices, garlic and celery. Simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes minutes or until rice in meatballs is cooked through. Add in the greens and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
Serve hot with fresh flour tortillas.
