Soups are a household favorite!  My family loves when I cook pozole(both red and green), chicken tortilla, and even menudo!  Today, I will share my recipe for albondigas.  Albondigas is super simple, but so flavorful!  I think of my Aunt Mary and Megan...because they LOVED my albondigas and my aunt requested it often!




INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Ground Beef
2 Stalks of Celery
1 Zucchini
3 Large Potatoes
1/4 Cup Carrots(you may use a bag of the pre-sliced or chop your own)
2/3 Cup of White Rice
1/4 Cup of Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs
1 Small Can of Tomato Sauce
1/2 Can of El Pato Sauce
Water
Chicken Bouillon
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder


Step 1
In a mixing bowl, combine ground beef, un-cooked rice, bread crumbs, eggs, and a pinch of salt, pepper & garlic powder.  Mix with your hands and form into round balls.  Make a circle with your thumb and pointer finger...if your meatballs fit snugly in there...its a good size.  Meatballs the size of a golf balls may be just a little too big, unless you prefer them to be big.

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of oil(you will not need too much because the meatballs will render a lot of fat).  Don't over cook them, cook them until they have nice brown marks(turning 2-3 times until most of the pink is gone).  *Keep in mind, they will continue to cook as they are boiling in the pot.  You will want some of that meat to create a delicious broth.  After the meatballs are cooked, drain the excess fat or you will have a greasy soup!

Step 2
Add your chopped veggies and water until the pot is 2/3 full.  Most albondigas soups have meatballs, zucchini, celery, carrots, and potatoes.  If you wish to add more veggies...go for it! You could add spinach, onions, yellow squash, and so forth...

After you add all your chopped veggies, add 1 can of tomato sauce, and 1/2 a can of El Pato Sauce(if you like really spicy food or feel like sweating...add the whole can).

Add 3 tablespoons of chicken bouillon, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, and 2 teaspoons of salt.  Bring it all to a boil and cover for about 30 minutes(till the potatoes are fork tender).  After the 30 minutes, taste the broth and you can determine if you want to make it spicier or if it needs more salt.  *Start with a little salt...you can always add more, but you can't fix it once it's too salty!

Add cilantro, lemon, and/or avocado for presentation and BON APPETIT!!