My husband and I love going out for Tapas – basically Spanish appetizers.  When I heard there was an authentic Spanish restaurant near my parents’ home, I asked if they’d go with me sometime.  One of the dishes that I had there was called Albóndigas, or basically Spanish meatballs in a tomato sauce.  They were amazing.  I headed home with the menu in hand in search of a recipe for these little delicious morsels.

The woman at the restaurant did tell me that their secret was to use local, organic beef.

I combined a few recipes online and this is what I came up with.

Albóndigas

1 lb ground beef
5 green onions
3-4 cloves garlic, divided
parsley
1 egg
2 slices bread
4 tbsp parmesan cheese
milk
1/2 cup white wine
28 oz can of tomatoes, chopped (reserve liquid)
flour
olive oil

Dry bread slices a bit and grind in a food processor until crumbly.

In a blender or food processor, crush 2 cloves of garlic with the parsley and mix with a dash of white wine. Place this mixture in a large bowl with the ground beef, mix well and let stand for 20 minutes (or longer).

Place the bread in a shallow dish and cover with a splash of milk and soak for a few minutes.

Add the bread, egg, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to the meat and knead until all the ingredients are mixed together.

Make small balls and roll each one in flour. Shake off excess flour.

Cook in hot extra virgin olive oil until they turn golden brown, drain and place in a casserole dish.

For the sauce:

Finely chop the green onion and the remaining garlic.  Place a little oil from the meatballs into a large skillet.  Add the onion and garlic and gently cook until they begin to brown.

Add the chopped tomatoes and white wine.  Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes.  Place the meatballs into the sauce and cook on low for 20 minutes.

Serve with bread or rice, and a glass of the remaining wine!

~M