Good in soup, and nice over rice

Dear SOS: I hope you still have in your files a recipe for albondigas. I had it for a long time but I lost it. Thank you in advance for your help.

E. Westerhaut

Downey

Dear E.: This recipe ran in October 1991. Albondigas are usually served in a soup, but these would be great over hot rice. For all-beef meatballs, use 2 pounds of ground beef and omit the pork.

Eloy Leon Mendez’s

albondigas

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: 6

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

Dash ground cumin

Freshly ground pepper

1/4teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 onions, 1 minced, divided

Salt

5 mint leaves, chopped

3 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

2 pounds tomatillos

4 cups boiling water

5 cloves garlic

2 cumin seeds

1/4 pound long green chiles, roasted and peeled

1 1/2 cups cilantro sprigs, divided

Salt, pepper

1/4 cup oil

1. Combine the beef, pork, ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, cloves, minced onion, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mint in a bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Gently stir in the eggs. Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Set aside.

2. Place the tomatillos in boiling water with the garlic, remaining 1/2 onion and cumin seeds. Cook until the tomatillos are tender, about 10 minutes. Strain and place them into a blender with the green chiles and 1 cup of the cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Puree the mixture.

3. Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pureed chile sauce and meatballs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat about 20 minutes. Stir in the remaining cilantro.

Each serving: 582 calories; 461 mg. sodium; 217 mg. cholesterol; 42 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 38 grams protein; 3.88 grams fiber.