| Albondigas Soup Recipe | | | | expensive to make. Costco to the rescue. I |
| | | | picked up a 3 lb tray of oxtails at Costco |
| Preparation time: 1 hour. | | | | recently, for only $3.30 a lb, and made this |
| | | | wonderful oxtail bouillon soup (and |
| This Spanish meatball soup was a family | | | | accompanying paté). If |
| favorite growing up. Not an appetizer, always | | | | you've never cooked oxtails before, they do |
| a main course, either for lunch or dinner. | | | | indeed come from the tail of a steer, and |
| "Albondigas" means "meatballs" in Spanish, | | | | they make the most divinely flavorful stew. |
| and the trick to perfect albondigas soup is | | | | Their bones are also filled with marrow, |
| to put chopped mint leaves into the | | | | perfect for making bouillon. Some people (I'm |
| meatballs. The mint is what gives an | | | | talking regular meat-eaters here) cringe at |
| albondigas soup meatball its unique flavor. | | | | the thought of eating an oxtail. My |
| | | | recommendation? Get over it. You eat chicken |
| 2 tablespoons olive oil | | | | drumsticks, don't you? |
| | | | |
| 1 large onion, chopped | | | | This recipe comes from an old issue (1993) of |
| | | | Gourmet magazine. It makes a delicious soup |
| 1 large garlic clove, minced | | | | on its own. You can also use it as a base for |
| | | | French onion soup or other beef-based soups. |
| 1/2 cup of tomato sauce | | | | |
| | | | 3-4 lbs oxtails, patted dry |
| 3 quarts of chicken stock or beef stock OR | | | | |
| water OR a mixture of both (we usually use | | | | Salt and pepper |
| half stock half water as the meatballs will | | | | |
| create their own stock) | | | | 2 onions, peeled and quartered |
| | | | |
| 2 large carrots, sliced | | | | 2 carrots, cut into 1-inch sections |
| | | | |
| 1/2 lb of string beans, cut into 1 inch | | | | the zest of one orange, removed in strips |
| pieces | | | | with a vegetable peeler |
| | | | |
| 1 pound ground beef | | | | 1 cup dry white wine |
| | | | |
| 1/3 cup of raw white rice | | | | 4 quarts water |
| | | | |
| 1 raw egg | | | | 1/3 cup fresh cranberries |
| | | | |
| 1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves and/or | | | | 10 oz mushrooms, chopped coarse |
| parsley | | | | |
| | | | 3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch sections |
| 1 1/2 teaspoon salt | | | | |
| | | | 4 sprigs of thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme |
| 1/4 teaspoon black pepper | | | | |
| | | | 1 bay leaf |
| 1/1/2 cup of frozen or fresh peas | | | | |
| | | | 4 cloves |
| Dried oregano, crumbled | | | | |
| | | | 1 teaspoon peppercorns1 Preheat the oven to |
| Salt and pepper | | | | 450°F. In a large roasting |
| | | | pan combine the oxtails, patted dry and |
| 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro | | | | seasoned with salt and pepper, the onions, |
| | | | the carrots, and the zest. Roast mixture in |
| Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium | | | | the middle of the oven, turning the oxtails |
| heat. Add onion and minced garlic and | | | | are browned, and transfer it to a large |
| sauté until tender, about 5 | | | | stockpot. |
| minutes. Add tomato sauce and broth mixture. | | | | |
| Bring to boil and simmer. Add carrots and | | | | 2 Deglaze the roasting pan with the wine over |
| string beans. | | | | high heat, scraping up the brown bits, and |
| | | | add the deglazing liquid to the stockpot with |
| Prepare meatballs. Mix rice into meat, adding | | | | the water, cranberries, mushrooms, celery, |
| mint land parsley leaves, salt and pepper. | | | | thyme, bay leaf, cloves, and peppercorns. |
| Add raw egg. Form beef into 1-inch meatballs. | | | | Bring the liquid to a boil, skimming the |
| Return soup to gentle simmer. Add meatballs | | | | froth, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 3 |
| to soup. Cover and let simmer for 1/2 hour. | | | | hours. |
| Add peas towards the end of the 1/2 hour. Add | | | | |
| a few pinches of oregano and sprinkle with | | | | 3 Ladle the mixture through a sieve lined |
| salt and pepper to taste. Garnish soup with | | | | with a rinsed and squeezed kitchen towel into |
| chopped fresh cilantro. | | | | a large bowl. Reserve the oxtails for another |
| | | | use, such as oxtail pate. Discard the |
| Serves 6-8. | | | | remaining solids. The bouillon can be made 3 |
| | | | days in advance and kept chilled. Discard |
| Beef Bouillon Soup from Oxtails Recipe | | | | excess fat (leave enough to cover soup when |
| | | | chilled). Bring the bouillon just to a boil |
| Many recipes call for beef stock (e.g. French | | | | and ladle it into warmed bowls. Makes 8 cups. |
| onion soup), but good beef stock is hard to | | | | Serves 6 to 8. |
| come by, with beef prices these days, | | | | |