My Abuela taught me how to make these as a kid, and it is still one of my favorite dishes to this day. Albondigas are essentially meatballs that are cooked in a tomato sauce and I have put my twist on them here by making them a taco. Cook, eat and enjoy!
Servings: 5-6
Cook Time: 1h
INGREDIENTS
Albondigas
4 Poblano peppers
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
½ cup minced carrots
½ cup chopped white onion
6 tablespoons cotija cheese
2 eggs
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Vegetable oil
Albondigas Sauce
Olive oil
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups beef stock
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
Plating
10 4" corn tortillas
Crumbled cotija
Sprigs of cilantro
1 cup chipotle mayo
1 cup pickled onions
DIRECTIONS
Roast poblano peppers using tongs over stovetop until charred. Cover peppers in plastic wrap and place in a bowl of water to steam for ten minutes. Once steamed, remove peppers from water and discard of plastic wrap. Then remove the seeds and skin and roughly chop and set aside.
To make the meatballs, take a large mixing bowl and add ½ pound ground beef and ½ pound ground pork. Add ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of the roasted and peeled poblano peppers, ½ cup minced carrots, ½ cup chopped white onion, 6 tablespoons cotija cheese, 2 eggs, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley. Mix all ingredients together gently. Roll mixture into about 1" diameter balls and add place on a baking sheet or large plate.
Take a large skillet with vegetable oil over medium heat and once hot, add the meatballs, going in batches to make sure they all get surface area on the skillet. Rotate meatballs with tongs once they begin to brown, continue until browned on all sides and place on a large platter to cool.
To make the sauce, use the same skillet used to cook the meat balls and add a bit of olive oil. Be sure to use the same pan to make the sauce as it is going to add flavor. Add in 6 garlic cloves that have been chopped, 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 2 cups beef stock, 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Add all to pan and stir. Wait about 20-30 minutes until crushed tomatoes and beef stock have cooked down to almost half their original volume. Add cooked meatballs back to sauce and finish cooking the meatballs in the sauce.
Take a warm tortilla, add a meatball (or two depending on your preference) with the sauce. Then drizzle chipotle mayo over the taco, add pickled onions, sprinkle with cotija, and add fresh sprigs of cilantro.
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