Friday, September 19, 2008

Mexican Meatball Soup / Caldo de Albondigas

MEATBALLS, GET YOUR MEATBALLS HERE! A frugal idea. Beans, rice, Mac 'n cheese, potatoes, soup. As each day goes by, the grocery bill gets higher and higher. We, as cooks and foodies worry that the day will come when we can no longer afford to feed our families properly. Go back to the basics folks. Despite my own personal afflictions, I'm still a healthy person and I grew up on beans and rice. We had a bit of meat maybe once a week if mom could afford it. There's no shame in that. I'm proud of the way my mom was able to take care of my two brothers and me as a single parent. My father passed away when I as only 3.

From the frugal lessons that I learned growing up, I've not once been unable to feed my husband and kids a wholesome meal even when times are tough. Basic foods helped us all to grow healthy and strong. Ask my 200 + pound son who I still wrestled with up to maybe 8 years ago when my Fibro really got a hold of me.

My brother Jose R. Cordero is a wonderful husband, father, musician, and teacher. He sent me this recipe a few years ago when I was putting together the Aprovecho Cookbook. I had asked several people, including my brothers, to send me recipes that reminded them of the growing up years here in El Paso. Jose smiled and said, "I know of one." Caldo de Albondigas. It was a specialty of my mother's. When she could afford it, she would make soup. Bean soup, vegetable soup, oxtail soup, chicken soup (oy!), and of course, our favorite meatball soup.

Jose lives in Mystic Connecticut. He's been there many years now. He retired from the Coast Guard where he played with the Coast Guard Congressional Band. He's played Carnegie Hall and with the Russian Symphony Orchestra. I'm very proud of him and only wish we lived a little closer so that we could see each other more often.

Thanks for letting me share a little bit about my "bro", Jose. Try out his recipe; I think you'll like it.




Mexican Meatball Soup
Caldo de Albondigas

2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
½ cup long grain rice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
½ cup finely minced onions
3 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
5 potatoes, cubed
1 (9 ounce) can tomato sauce
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges, tortillas, Bolillos, optional

Mix ground beef with the eggs, rice, cumin and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Shape meat mixture into 1-½ inch meatballs. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Gently place the meatballs into the boiling water. Add the onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and tomato sauce. Cover and reduce heat to low boil for about 1 hour until vegetables are soft and rice in meatballs is tender. Serve hot garnished with cilantro, a wedge of lime, tortillas or bolillos.
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MEXICAN WORD OF THE DAY: WATER
My mammasita gets mad so mush and I don't even know water problem is!
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Don't forget to check out my Chocolate Blog for a great dessert idea.

15 comments:

Deb in Hawaii said...

The soup looks delicious. Sometimes the simple foods are the best. Although I grew up with both parents, we were a family of 8kids and my Mom was good at stretching the money to feed us. Great post and loved hearing about your brother!

Ivy said...

Nice post Teresa and a delicious soup. This problem is the same around the whole world.

Gloria Chadwick said...

Your meatball soup sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing your brother with us. BTW, you're my featured foodie for Monday. I sent you an email. Hugs.

Adam said...

Nice post Teresa :) Is there anything more cost effective and comforting than soup? It just brings a smile to my face.

Tell my Uncle Jose he makes a mean soup. I love blend of flavors, and meatballs are always good for my protein :)

Reeni said...

I love meatball soup, this reminds me of my Mom's Italian Wedding Soup. I'll have to try it your way, it's getting cool here, perfect soup weather!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Oh, I love that kind of food! Your soup looks terribly good and comforting!

Thanks for passing by!

Cheers,

Rosa

Alicia Foodycat said...

That soup sounds so comforting! And what a great post. Your brother sounds like a wonderful man.

eatingclubvancouver_js said...

Fall hit us today and it's cold. I've been looking for a soup that would warm me. This looks like it! Bookmarked. Thanks!

Lin said...

Well, I'm left speechless and humbled by what my little sister has blogged about me. She is very forgiving and loving with all, always keeping a blind eye to our defects. May G/D bless her with love and peace, joy and happiness, health and abundance.
Uncle Jose

Anonymous said...

Hi Tere,
The sopa looks muy sabrosa! And there isn't much that's more comforting than meatballs. They are a wonderful food. Thanks to your brother for passing it along. Mystic is a really beautiful place. Been there?

BTW, I can't get over how much my husband and I spend on groceries. and it's just the two of us!

Sophie said...

I love this soup. I still don't make it as good as my grandma does, but yours looks so yummy and traditional :).

Arlene Delloro said...

Just got home from a week away and had to see what you've been up to. I am going to buy the makings for this soup when I shop today. I know Larry will love it (me, too).

Tina Butler said...

Teresa that soup looks beautiful. I have decided food is pretty so beautiful is fitting. I cant wait till texas cools down a bit so i can start making soup. I want to make some pazole as well i have never made it but i am going to give it a try.

NM Mommy said...

This is a wonderful recipe!! It does remind me of my mom and I'm sure it will remind my daughter about me because I still cook it at home, in fact it is my daughter's favorite food. Thanks for sharing this recipe, I'm sure it's been helpfull for several people.

Paint Neophyte said...

I found this recipe by googling albondigas on Google Images, and picking the one that looked the most like my Mom's! Really great, thanks so much for sharing!