Meatballs in spicy tomato sauce (albondigas con salsa picante)

Serve these more-ish meatballs as part of a tapas spread.

Credit: Feast magazine

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• ½ cup (35g) fresh breadcrumbs 
• 2 tbsp milk 
• 500 g minced beef 
•  1 garlic clove, crushed 
• 1 egg yolk 
• 3 tsp smoked paprika 
• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil 

Tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
• 1 bay leaf 
• ½ tsp hot paprika 
• 410 g can chopped tomatoes

Chilling time 10 minutes

Instructions

Soak breadcrumbs in milk for 5 minutes. Squeeze out excess moisture and place in a bowl with beef, garlic, egg yolk and paprika. Season with salt and pepper, then, using your hands, knead mixture until smooth. Form into 12 balls and place on a tray. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes to rest.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook meatballs, turning, for 4 minutes or until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate. Reserve pan with oil.

To make tomato sauce, return reserved pan with oil over medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic and bay leaf, and cook for 4 minutes or until onion is softened. Add paprika and cook for a further minute or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes and return meatballs to pan. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until sauce has thickened and meatballs are cooked through. Add a little water, if necessary, to stop sauce sticking to the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately. Serve with salt cod croquettes (croquetas de bacalao) and potato tortilla (tortilla de patatas).

As seen in Feast magazine, Feb 2012, Issue 6.

Photography by Brett Stevens.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.