I am on a roll here – spanish foods in all their glory. Whenever I cook these dishes I always recall a women at a hotel I stayed at gasping in horror as we mentioned we love Spanish food “but its all greasy, and they eat anything that moves you know”. This was as she shovelled down fork after fork of Albondigas. It was ashamed to be English in that room. But Spanish food is at it best in recipes like the above. I love these served with just a piece of barra de pan…or rustic spanish bread.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
8oz ground beef
1 cup of fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of grated Manchego Cheese
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Half a teaspoon of tumeric
Salt and pepper, to taste
16 oz canned tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 egg
Instructions
In a bowl, thoroughly mix together the beef, breadcrumbs, cheese, tomato paste, garlic, scallions, egg, thyme, tumeric, salt and pepper. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 to 15 firm balls.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and cook for several minutes or until browned on all sides.
Add the tomatoes, wine, basil and rosemary. Simmer gently for around 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve hot.
I like to serve them with pasta, but thats really up to you!