Pictorial: Albóndigas!

Shamelessly quoted from Wikipedia:

"In Spain and Mexico, meatballs are called 'albóndigas,' derived from the Arabic 'al-bunduq' (meaning 'hazelnut,' or, by extension, a small round object). Albóndigas are thought to have originated as a Berber or Arab dish imported to Spain during the period of Muslim rule. Spanish albóndigas can be served as an appetizer or main course, often in a tomato sauce, while Mexican albóndigas are commonly served in a soup with a light broth and vegetables."

meatballs ingredients

500 GR ground pork (1.1 lbs)
5 CM leek (finely chopped, 2 in)
2 CUP long grain rice (cooked)
1/3 CUP cornmeal
1 X egg
4 X garlic cloves
4 TBSP oregano
1 TBSP black pepper
1 TBSP salt

(soup|sauce) ingredients

250 GR canned kidney beans with liquid (5.5 lbs, ~1,5 cup)
10 CM leek (roughly chopped into rings, 4 in)
1 CUP shredded cheese
2 CUP tomato puree
2/3 CUP strong meat broth
1 CUP celery green (optional, garnish)
3 X celery stalk (sliced into rings)
1 x big onions (roughly chopped)
4 x red or green chiles (roughly chopped)
4 x garlic cloves
2 TBSP pan-roasted and ground cumin seeds
2 TBSP oregano
1 TBSP lime juice
1 TBSP honey
1 TBSP black pepper
1 TBSP salt



combine meat ball ingredients, mix well and set aside



chop the onion and celery, slice leek into rings, save the celerys' green for later,
remove seeds from chile, chop garlic and chile, add them to the tomato puree



blend the the tomato&chile&garlic mix until smooth, heat and oil pan



form nice little meatballs from the ground pork mix



brown them gently in their own fat, flip from time to time



remove the meat balls from the pan, add the chopped onions and celery to the remaining fat,



saute until the onions start to brown a little, add the beans together with the can liquid



cook for a moment until the bean liquid is almost gone



deglaze the pan with the strong beef broth, simmer for a moment



add the tomato sauce, add oregano and cumin, stir well, simmer for a moment,
season to taste with salt, pepper, honey and lime juice, aim for a smooth round flavour



add the meatball to the sauce, drop the heat to low or medium and simmer until
the beans are done, this should take 15-20 min, stir careful every now and then,
add leek rings when almost done, don't stir anymore afterwards, the content of
the pan will steam them to perfection



serve with long grain rice, top with shredded cheese and pulled celery green




a nice variation is to add more broth and bay leaves and to bump up the sauce
to soup, replace the rice with a few tortillas for dipping, yet another nice dish

¡Buen apetito!