Spanish Meatballs With Green Olives Recipes

SPANISH MEATBALLS WITH BEANS AND GREENS

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Soak the bread in milk to soften in a small dish.
• Place the beef and pork in a mixing bowl. Squeeze out the milk from the bread and crumble into small bits as you add to bowl. Sprinkle the meats with salt and pepper, and add the onions, paprika, garlic, egg, cilantro and parsley. Mix thoroughly. Roll into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and arrange on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil spray and bake until crispy on the outside, about 20 minutes.
• For the greens and beans: Meanwhile, heat the EVOO in a Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chiles and onions. Season with salt and pepper, and stir for 5 minutes. Wilt in the greens, and add the stock and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and add the meatballs. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and cool completely. Store in the refrigerator for a make-ahead meal.
• Reheat the soup over medium heat and serve with crusty bread.

SPANISH MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together all meatball ingredients EXCEPT flour.
• Roll mixture into 2" balls.
• Roll each ball in the flour.
• Lightly oil a skillet with olive oil and fry the meatballs on med.- high heat until golden brown.
• Put meatballs in a large saucepan and set aside.
• In the same skillet you fried the meatballs in, add the onions and peppers and cook until tender.
• Add the tomatoes and cook another 8-10 minutes or until tomatoes are the consistency you like.
• Add the wine and cook about 3 more minutes.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour sauce mixture onto meatballs and let simmer on low about 10 minutes.
• Best served on rice or rice-a-roni.
• *NOTE* If you like a sweeter sauce, try mixing 3 Tbsp grape jelly with the wine before adding it to the sauce.

SPANISH MEATBALLS WITH GREEN OLIVES

Steps:

• Trim crusts and soak bread in milk.
• Mix bread, crushed garlic, freshly grated nutmeg, finely minced parsley egg, and salt and pepper
• Add ground beef.
• Form meat into small walnut size meatballs.
• Roll meatballs in flour.
• Cut onion into rings.
• Heat olive oil in heavy pan.
• Cook meatballs until browned; remove from pan.
• Add more olive oil.
• Brown onions lightly .
• Add meatballs back to pan with the sliced stuffed green olives.
• Add wine and chicken stock.
• Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

SLOW SIMMERED SPANISH MEATBALLS WITH GREEN OLIVES

Steps:

• Prepare the saffron water: Toast the saffron strands in a warm skillet over low heat for 1 minute. Crumble the toasted saffron strands into the 1/4 cup hot water and set aside. Prepare the meatballs: Combine the potato, onion, red bell pepper, parsley in a food processor and process until very finely chopped, but not yet a paste. In a separate bowl, combine the vegetable mixture with the ground beef or lamb, cumin, egg, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate the meat mixture for at least 30 minutes or until ready to cook. Shape the meat mixture into meatballs, approximately 2 inches in diameter and set aside. The mixture should yield 12-16 meatballs. Prepare the sauce: Place an 12-inch deep skillet (with lid) or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the grated onion, garlic, olive oil, saffron water, paprika, salt, 3/4 cup of the parsley and hot water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently for about 7-10 minutes. Add the meatballs one by one, to poach in the sauce and continue to cook, covered, for 15 mins, gently shaking the pan to ensure even cooking. Add the green olives and continue cooking, covered, for 20-30 minutes longer until all the flavors are deep and melded together. Add the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper. Garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup parsley and serve piping hot straight from the pan. This recipe is wonderful spooned over rice or accompanied by rustic, crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

SPANISH SAFFRON MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Place the ground beef and ground pork into a large bowl.
• Place the sliced bread into the food processor.
• Pulse into fine bread crumbs and add to the bowl.
• Place the parsley and garlic into the food processor and pulse until finely minced and add to the bowl.
• Cut the bacon slices into 2" pieces.
• Place in the food processor with the milk, and 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Pulse until the bacon has developed a ground meat texture.
• Add the eggs and process for a few more seconds.
• Add the bacon mixture and black pepper to the bowl.
• Mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
• Form into 1" meatballs.
• You should have approximately 120 meatballs.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the meatballs on a jelly roll pan, or cake pans that have been sprayed with baking spray.
• Drizzle the meatballs with 3 tbsp of olive oil.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Allow the meatballs to cool until easy to handle.
• Prepare the gravy; In a Dutch Oven saute the finely diced onion in 3 tbsp of olive oil.
• Once the onion has started to brown add the flour, stir, and remove from the heat.
• Add the paprika, beef broth, and stir again.
• Add the meatballs, and cook over medium low heat for approximately 30 minutes, or until the gravy has reduced and thickened slightly.
• Stir as needed to coat the meatballs, but be very gentle with the meatballs so they don't break apart.
• Allow the meatballs to cool and place in the refrigerator.
• For the very best flavor the meatballs need to be made a day ahead.
• I also like to store the meatballs in a zip-loc bag so the gravy surrounds all of the meatballs.
• This really makes the meatballs tender and flavorful.
• 45 minutes before serving; Place the remaining garlic, parsley, saffron threads, and salt in the food processor.
• Pulse until finely minced.
• Heat the meatballs and gravy, once they are warm add the saffron mixture and allow to cook for 10 more minutes.

SPANISH MEATBALLS (ALBONDIGAS)

Steps:

• Mix the ground beef with the egg and half of the chopped onion. Season with one stock cube and black pepper.
• Pour olive oil into a large pot and heat. Roll the meat mixture into the size of ping pong balls and add them to the oil. Fry until almost done then add the rest of the onion and fry together for another couple of minutes.
• Add tomatoes to the meatballs; add the red wine, the other stock cube and black pepper to season. Let everything simmer for another 15 minutes.