Salsa Roja! Albondigas! Red Sauce! Meatballs!
Two of my favorite foods! Salsa Roja and albondigas with a Mexican twist! A hearty and delicious meal!
Servings 6 Servings
Ingredients
Guajillo Tomato Sauce
- 1/3 c olive oil plus more if needed
- 12 cloves of garlic 36 gr
- 1/2 small white onion 80 gr
- 4 ripe Roma tomatoes 328 gr
- 2 large ripe vine ripe tomatoes 366 gr
- 4 chile de arbol stems removed
- 4 chile guajillo stems and seeds removed
- 2 cups of water
- 2-3 tsps tomato bouillon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 tsp oregano crushed
- 2 poblano peppers previously roasted, cleaned and diced
Albondigas-Meatballs
- 1 lb ground sirloin or chuck
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp dried onion or 3/4 tsp ground onion powder
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 tsp crushed oregano
- 1/3 c panko bread crumbs
- 3 tbsps parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
Albondigas
- In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients. Roll 12 equal meatballs, making sure you don't compact them too much. A looser meatball is more tender. Transfer to a plate, cover with plastic and chill for 1 hour. Chilling the meatballs will prevent them from falling apart.
- When ready, cook meatballs in 2 tbsps of olive oil. If using sirloin, it's lean, so you need the oil. If using a fattier beef, no oil required. Brown meatballs for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Pour sauce from below into pot with meatballs. Stir well to combine. When it comes up to a simmer, let it cook for 5 minutes, then taste for salt. Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes. Mix in crushed oregano during the last 5 minutes. Fold in roasted poblano. Serve over pasta and garnish with cotija cheese, cilantro and crushed chile piquin
Guajillo Sauce
- In a large pot, combine the oil, garlic and onions. Turn the heat to below medium. Let the oil heat up slowly to infuse it with the flavors of the garlic and onion.
- After a few minutes, the ingredients will begin to fry lightly. Continue to saute and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring as needed.
- Quarter the tomatoes and add them to the pot when ready. Cook until tomatoes begin to soften and release their juices. Add the chile de arbol and chile guajillo. Stir well to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in 2 cups of water. Mix in 2-3 tsps of tomato bouillon. Let everything come up to a simmer and cook for 7-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the ingredients sit for 10 minutes.
- When ready, transfer all of the ingredients to the blender, including all of the liquid. Cover and secure the lid, holding down with a kitchen towel. Blend on high until very smooth. Set aside
Pasta
- You can choose any pasta of your choice. I used about 10 oz of fetuccini and followed the instructions on the package, but cooked it for 2 minutes less.
Notes
To roast the poblano, you can remove the stem and seeds. Brush with oil. Roast under a preheated broiler set on high for 8-9 minutes per side. You can also roast in an air fryer on high for 10 minutes. All air fryers will vary in cooking times. After roasting, transfer poblanos to a plastic bag and let them sweat for 10 minutes. Remove blistered skins and slice or dice as desired.