Albóndigas

Make Ahead and Storage

Better the next day. Keeps 3 days refrigerated, freezes 2 months.

How to Make Albóndigas

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1. Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 5 minutes, then mash to a paste.

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2. Mix with both minces, the egg, two thirds of the garlic, the parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

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3. Roll into 24 small balls and chill 15 minutes.

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4. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil and fry the slice of bread and the almonds for 3 minutes, until both are deep gold. Lift out.

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5. Pound the fried bread and almonds to a coarse paste in a mortar with the saffron. This is the picada.

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6. Brown the meatballs in the same pan in two batches, 4 minutes a batch. Lift out.

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7. Add the remaining oil and the onion and cook 8 minutes.

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8. Stir in the remaining garlic and the paprika, then the wine, and bubble 2 minutes.

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9. Add the tomatoes and stock and simmer 10 minutes, then stir in the picada.

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10. Return the meatballs and simmer 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick. Serve with bread.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Tips for Success

• The picada, not flour. Fry the bread and nuts properly golden.
• Small meatballs — this is a tapa, not a main.
• Chill them before browning so they hold.

Behind the Recipe

The sauce is thickened with a picada — fried bread and almonds pounded together — rather than with flour. It is the classic Spanish method and it does two jobs at once: it gives body and it adds a toasted, nutty flavour that flour cannot. Fry the bread and almonds until properly golden, because that colour is the flavour.

Serving Ideas

Crusty bread · Patatas bravas · A glass of Rioja

Ingredient Swaps

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
• A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.

Questions About Albóndigas

What's in a Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. The calories include 4 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.

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