Albóndigas en Salsa (Spanish Meatballs)

About This Recipe

Albóndigas — the word comes from the Arabic al-bunduq, meaning 'hazelnut' — arrived in Spain with Moorish culture and never left. They are found in every tapas bar across the country, gently simmering in their sauce in a clay cazuela. Unlike Italian-American meatballs, albóndigas are small — about golf-ball size — so they can be easily eaten with a piece of bread or toothpick as a tapa. The sauce distinguishes them: a garlicky tomato base perfumed with saffron and sherry wine, giving it a distinctly Spanish character.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 250 gminced pork
• 250 gminced beef
• 2garlic cloves(minced, for meatballs)
• 1egg
• 40 gbreadcrumbs
• 3 tbspparsley(chopped)
• 3 tbspplain flour(for dusting)
• 4 tbspolive oil
• 1 largeonion(finely diced)
• 400 gtinned tomatoes
• 100 mldry sherry (fino)
• 1 generous pinchsaffron threads(soaked in 2 tbsp hot water)
• 200 mlchicken stock
• 1bay leaf
• 2garlic cloves(minced, for sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Form meatballs

   Mix pork, beef, 2 garlic cloves, egg, breadcrumbs, parsley and seasoning. Roll into 24 small balls. Dust lightly with flour. Brown in batches in olive oil over medium-high heat, 3–4 minutes, turning. Remove and set aside.

2. 2

   Make sauce

   In the same pan, fry onion and remaining garlic over medium heat until golden. Add sherry and let it bubble 1 minute. Add tomatoes, saffron water, stock and bay leaf. Simmer sauce 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Braise meatballs

   Return meatballs to the pan. Cover and cook on low heat 20 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and sauce has thickened.

   Don't skip the sherry — it adds an unmistakably Spanish character to the sauce.

4. 4

   Serve

   Taste and season. Scatter parsley over the top. Serve with crusty bread.

Variations

• •

  Replace tomato sauce with a white almond and saffron sauce (salsa de almendras) for a Moorish-influenced version.

• •

  Mix in 100g of diced fresh chorizo for smokier Chorizo Albóndigas.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days in sauce. Flavour improves overnight. Freeze up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions