Michael'S Albondigas Soup

• Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 pound lean ground pork (OR ground turkey)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano leaves,
• crushed
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 cup long grain rice, uncooked
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (1/2"
• to 3/4" cube)
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• Broth from one recipe of Carnitas, about
• 4 quarts of liquid
• Skim fat that rises to the surface of
• the broth with a spoon. Remove as much
• as you can, but a little bit left in
• the soup will intensify the flavor. Strain
• the broth through a colander lined with
• cheesecloth or a large fine-mesh sieve, to remove whole spices, onion,
• etc. Return to stockpot and hold, off heat.
• In a large bowl, combine egg, cilantro,
• oregano and pepper. Add ground beef and
• ground pork, uncooked rice and mix well.
• Form meat mixture into balls approximately 1
• to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Return stockpot to heat and bring broth to
• simmer. Add tomato paste and stir to mix
• well. Add sliced carrots and simmer for 5
• minutes. Carefully add meatballs, a few at a
• time, until they are all in the pot. (Don't
• splash and burn yourself!) Add potatoes and
• bring the pot to a boil. Immediately lower
• heat to simmer. Simmer about 30 minutes, or
• until meatballs and veggies are done. Ladle
• into bowls and serve with warm tortillas.
• Makes 8 to 10 servings.

1. CARNITAS (translated: "little meats")
2. 1 4 to 5 pound pork shoulder or butt, left
3. whole, bone-in, but trimmed of large
4. pieces of exterior fat and rind
5. 1 large yellow onion, peeled, quartered
6. 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds (whole seeds, NOT
7. ground)
8. 1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds (whole, not ground)
9. 2 tsp. dry oregano leaves (not ground)
10. 2 bay leaves
11. water
12. Place all ingedients into a 6 to 8 quart
13. stock pot. Pour in enough water to just
14. cover the meat.
15. Heat to a boil, reduce to a slow simmer,
16. cover and allow to cook until meat easily
17. shreds with two forks. This takes somewhere
18. between 3 and 5 hours. Add more boiling
19. water, as necessary, to keep meat covered.
20. Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
21. Remove meat from the stock pot and place in a
22. large 13" x 9" roasting pan. (Reserve
23. broth for Albondigas). Gently pull meat
24. apart, discarding excess fat, bone and any
25. connective tissue. Meat should be in small
26. to medium-size chunks, spread out in the pan.
27. Bake, uncovered, in the 450 degree oven until
28. the meat is browned and sizzling hot, about
29. 20 minutes. Remove from oven, place meat on
30. warmed platter and serve.
31. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

ground beef, lean ground pork, egg, cilantro, oregano, black pepper, long grain rice, carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, liquid, surface of, much, will, colander, cheesecloth, hold, bowl, oregano, ground pork, bring broth to, tomato, carrots, carefully add meatballs, time, burn yourself, lower, minutes, until meatballs

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/michaels-albondigas-soup-51486411 (may not work)