Albondigas Soup

My wife, Miss Julie, and I, used to love taking the kids to good Mexican restaurants.  Good restaurants always had Albondigas soup and that's what Miss Julie would order for them and they loved it.  Still do in fact. 

Caldo de Albondigas (Mexican Meat Ball Soup)

3 onions, finely diced

3 tablespoons bacon grease

2 16-ounce cans of tomatoes

1/4 cup roasted green chili peppers (or one 4-ounce can of chopped green chills)

3 quarts weak beef stock (if you're making a meal, reduce the amount to 2 quarts)

1/4 teaspoon cumin

handful of cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 corn tortillas, sliced into tiny, short slivers

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Garnish: strips of warmed flour tortillas and a slice of lime

In a large soup pot, sauté the onions in bacon grease. Cut the tomatoes into the pot, reserving their juice, and cook down for 10-15 minutes. Add the reserved tomato juice, stock, green chills, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and cilantro. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the soup is simmering, make the Albondigas: mix the ground beef, corn tortilla slivers, egg, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, salt, and pepper. Shape into tiny (marble sized) balls.

When ready to serve, carefully drop the Albondigas into the simmering soup. When they float, turn the heat off, cover the pot, and hold for 10 minutes (unless you like your garlic really strong--in which case, serve immediately!).

You can serve this soup as a meal, just put a big spoonful of Spanish rice in each bowl first. Otherwise, ladle the soup into bowls, garnishing with fine strips of warmed flour tortillas topped by a fresh cut lime round.