Cook the Book: 'Almost Meatless' Albondigas
Albóndigas are little Spanish or Mexican meatballs. In Spain, they're commonly served fried, in a rich tomato sauce, whereas a Mexican cook is more likely to serve them in a light broth, "Italian wedding" style.
In Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond's reimagining of the albóndiga, just half a pound of ground lamb is stretched to feed four to six people. Steel-cut oats provide some of the bulk, and chipotle peppers, cumin, and cilantro provide the flavor. Instead of being fried, the uncooked meatballs are placed straight into the tomato sauce to simmer—and sharpened at the very end with a squeeze of lime.
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Albóndigas
- serves 4 to 6 -
Adapted from Almost Meatless by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond
Ingredients
1/2 cup steel-cut oatmeal
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped plus more for garnish
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons), divided
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped into a paste
4 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
2 teaspoons ground coriander, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound ground lamb
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
Juice of 1 lime
Procedure
1. Mix together the oatmeal, cilantro, half the garlic, the chipotle, 2 teaspoons of the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Gently work the lamb into the mixture, distributing it evenly. Form balls out of tablespoon-size scoops of the mixture and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining garlic, cumin, and coriander, cooking for an additional 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and water and stir to combine.
3. Bring the sauce to a simmer and add the meatballs. Simmer partially covered for 45 minutes.
4. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste, squeeze the lime juice over top, and serve with extra chopped cilantro.
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5 Comments:
I might be splitting hairs here, but how are meatballs "almost meatless"? Especially those made with ground lamb? Maybe I'm missing the concept of this book.
punkin712 at 3:40PM on 02/19/09
because "Steel-cut oats provide some of the bulk"
that would probably cut the meat volume in half.
spartana07 at 3:45PM on 02/19/09
@Punkin712 - As spartana notes, the steel-cut oats really bulk up the meatballs. Consider, also, that this recipe uses 8 ounces of meat to generate 4 servings - that's just 2oz per person. Now, it's clearly not vegetarian by any measure, but, in an age of 7-ounce+ hamburger patties, it's still a pretty modest quantity of meat.
"Almost Meatless" is primarily concerned with reducing, not eliminating, meat consumption, but it does contain a number of vegetarian recipes, too.
Michele Humes at 3:57PM on 02/19/09
Thanks for clearing that up Michele!
Punkin712: These "meatballs" are one of my favorite recipes in the book because even though there's just 2-ounces of meat per serving, they taste much richer and meatier than that. It's true: the book isn't about giving up meat, it's about finding ways to cut back. We love meat! But too much is not a good thing.
Joy Manning at 5:35PM on 02/19/09
Thanks to all who helped clarify! When I first read the post, I was "almost coffee-less" :) Now it all makes perfect sense.
punkin712 at 6:46PM on 02/20/09