TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Albóndigas en salsaMeatballs in Vegetable and Red Wine Sauce
Beef and pork are mixed with milk-soaked bread to make tender meatballs. Browned and then simmered in a vegetable and red wine sauce, they make a home-style main course.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
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Ingredients (4 servings)
- Minced beef400 g
- Minced pork200 g
- BreadWhite bread crumb60 g
- Milk100 ml
- Egg1 piece
- Garlic5g for the meat mixture and 10g for the sauce15 g
- Parsley10 g
- Onion250 g
- Carrot120 g
- Tomatoes250 g
- Red wine100 ml
- Water350 ml
- Soft wheat flour40 g
- Olive oilReuse 30ml in the sauce after shallow-frying100 ml
- Salt8 g
- Black pepper0.5 g
Method
Make the meat mixture with bread and aromatics
- 1 Soak 60g bread in 100ml milk and finely chop 15g garlic and 10g parsley.
- 2 In a bowl, mix 400g minced beef, 200g minced pork, the soaked bread and milk, 1 egg, 5g garlic, the parsley, 5g salt and 0.5g pepper.
- 3 Finely chop 250g onion and 120g carrot and grate 250g tomatoes, leaving the skins behind.
Ready when
Continue when the meat mixture holds together and no large lumps of bread remain.
Shape and brown the meatballs
- 1 Divide the mixture into 20 equal portions, roll into balls and dust lightly with 40g flour.
- 2 Heat 100ml oil in a frying pan over medium heat and shallow-fry the meatballs in 2 batches until browned all over, then remove.
- 3 Leave 30ml oil in the pan and transfer the rest to another container.
Ready when
Continue when the meatballs retain their round shape and their surfaces are light brown.
Cook down the vegetables and red wine
- 1 In the reserved oil, sauté the onion, carrot and 10g garlic over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- 2 Add the tomato and cook for 3 minutes, then add 100ml red wine and boil for 2 minutes.
Ready when
Continue when the vegetables are soft and the strong smell of alcohol has subsided.
Cook the meatballs through
- 1 Add 350ml water and 3g salt to the pan and return the meatballs.
- 2 Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.
- 3 Check that the centre reaches 75°C for at least 1 minute, then divide among dishes with the sauce.
Ready when
The dish is ready when the meatballs are hot through the centre and the vegetable sauce coats them all.
About this dish
Albóndigas are meatballs well established in Spanish home cooking. Recipes vary from cook to cook, including combinations of beef and pork with milk-soaked bread, simmered in a vegetable sauce.
In some regions, they also appear at celebrations. The meatballs described in Madridejos, in Castilla-La Mancha, include jamón and saffron and are prepared for weddings, birthdays and festivals.
An everyday dish simmered in vegetable sauce and festive meatballs handed down in a town: following dishes with the same name reveals a range of settings, from family meals to local celebrations.
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