I was happy about 2 things in this recipe: 1. He let me skip fresh coriander. 2. The meat was beef. I mean, no offense little piggies, I like eating pork every now and then, but boy the smell is sometimes really heavy!

 
This was the third dish Panu cooked in our co-cooking session. I am quite hungry right now, as I am writing this blog post, so I will not write much about how tasty, soft and juicy those meatballs were.. And the sauce, yumm…! But this is like a torture right now!!

 

 
With quite good amount of sauce, the dish is something like soupy meatballs, but not quite. I googled other versions, some look a lot like soup. Then I found out that the soup is from Mexican cuisine. Well if you google “Albóndigas” you get photos of many meatballs because it just happens to mean meatballs in Spanish language! It is derived from Arabic al-bunduq and it means hazelnut or a small round object. It is probably originated as an Arab dish and is imported to Spain under the Muslim rule. Anyway, I liked this one better – I do not have good memories with meatballs soup…

 

 

Apparently you can serve this as an appetiser or as main dish, but in my understanding I categorise it more as main dish. It is a bit too filling for an appetiser.

 

With this post, I complete the posts of co-cooking session with Panu. And I’m happy that ever since, I have been enjoying his food quite often!! Yayy!!

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Instructions:
(makes about 15 meatballs)

 

2.5 cups / 6 dl water
1 beef bouillon
2 slices of bread (we used regular white toast bread)
1 onion
1 red chilli pepper
1 tbsp / 15 ml olive oil
1 tsp / 5 ml ground cinnamon (1/2 + 1/2)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp / 10 ml pimiento (paprika powder) (1+1 tsp)
A dash of white wine (twice)
1 bundle of parsley
400 gr. minced meat (beef)
400 gr. tomato passata (tomato puree)
(and fresh coriander, if you dare..)

 

Soundtrack: Khoma – The Second Wave (very good album cover)

 

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1. Cut the crust off the bread.

 

 

2. In a medium pan, add 2.5 cups / 6 dl water and heat. When it starts boiling, add bouillon and continue boiling for a few more minutes while stirring frequently. Take it off the heat.

 

 

 

 

3. Take 1/2 cup / 1 dl from hot water and wet bread with it. Keep the rest of the water.

 

 

 

 

4. Slice onion.

 

 
5. Cut chilli pepper into small pieces.

 

 
6. In a frying pan, pour olive oil and heat.

 

 
7. Into the oil, add onion. Continuously stirring, saute onion until it gets translucent.

 

 

 

8. To the onion, add 1/2 tsp / 2.5 ml ground cinnamon, crushed garlics, 1 tsp / 5 ml pimiento and chilli pepper and continue stirring for 1 more minute.

 

 

 

 

 
9. Add white wine. Continue cooking for about a minute or so.

 

 
10. Chop parsley.

 

 
11. In a mixing bowl, put bread, minced meat, salt, pepper, half of parsley (and half of coriander if you are using it) and the cooked mixture. Do not wash the frying pan.

 

 
12. Knead the mixture – or use a hand mixer! – until all the ingredients are incorporated.  Put it in the fridge to chill for half an hour.

 

 
13. When the meat mixture is chilled, take it out of the fridge and make the balls. You should get about 15 walnut-sized meatballs.

 

 
14. Reheat the non-washed frying pan. Add another dash of white wine. Heat it.

 

 

 
15. Add 1/2 tsp / 2.5 ml ground cinnamon, 1 tsp / 5 ml pimiento, tomato puree and remaining water.

 

 

 

 

 
16. When the sauce is cooked, add meatballs as seen in the photo. Add rest of parsley. Cover the pan and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

17. When it is ready, serve with a good amount of sauce. You can add some parsley or coriander (ewww) on top of the balls while serving. Bon appetite!