Albóndigas are served as appetizers or small starters or if you prefer tapas, the latter are small bites served in a multitude of small dishes placed directly on the table and are at the heart of the conviviality of Spanish cuisine.

The origin of the albóndigas is not certain, the Romans would have prepared meat and fish balls around 25 to 35 BC, recipes from the Roman cook Marco Gavio Apicius have passed through time to us for testify to it. The origin of this dish takes different names in several cultures and like any popular cuisine, there is very little documentation. Spanish meatballs are said to be of Arab origin, more specifically from the Moors who occupied a large part of the Iberian Peninsula from the year 711 and have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries, obviously, they were probably made with lamb or mutton originally.

CategoryAppetizer, Before or during, From the butcher, Hot starter, Mediterranean, Tapas

Yields1 Serving

Boulettes

200 g ground veal (or beef)

200 g minced pork

1 egg

1 clove garlic

20 g breadcrumbs (1 tablespoons = around 10g)

flour (quantity sufficient to flour the meatballs)

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp curry (see homemade curry recipe in the link below)

Parsley

½ cup olive oil

Sauce

¼ l chicken broth

½ spanish onion

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp farine

60 ml of Cognac or Brandy

4 tbsp olive oil

pepper and salt

½ tsp cane sugar (white sugar if not)

Chop the garlic and parsley finely. Mince the onion. Reserve.

Les boulettes

Mix the meat, garlic, parsley, egg, breadcrumbs, cumin and curry well in a mixing bowl until smooth.

Make small balls of about 3cm to 3.5cm (1" to 1"1/4) using a dumpling tongs. If you roll them by hand, use a form of measuring cup to have balls of the same size.

Roll meatballs in flour. Reserve a teaspoon of flour for the preparation of the sauce.

Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the meatballs for about 4 to 5 minutes, to color them. Set aside on absorbent paper to remove excess oil. Be careful not to overheat the olive oil.

La sauce

In a large skillet put 4 tablespoons of the olive oil that was previously used to brown the meatballs and heat over medium low heat. Drop the chopped onion for about 10 to 15 minutes, salt and pepper.

Add the flour to the onions and cook for another minute.

Stir the paprika into the onions and add the cognac or brandy and flambé. You can also increase the heat to maximum for about 1 minute to evaporate the alcohol if you don't like to play with fire.

Add the chicken broth, tomato paste and meatballs, mix well and simmer for about 30 minutes to reduce the sauce.

Remove the meatballs and reduce the sauce for another ten minutes. Return the meatballs to the sauce.

Serve as tapas alongside picadillo, pincho, empanadas and embutidos accompanied by a piece of Andalusian bread!

Ingredients