Mexican Meatball Soup

with Rice and Cilantro

&

Homemade Empanada’s

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 (main-course) servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbl olive oil
• 2 ¾ cups chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 small bay leaves
• 72 ounce beef broth
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• ½ cup chunky tomato salsa (medium-hot)
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

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• 1 pound lean ground sirloin
• ¼  pound bulk pork sausage
• 6 Tbl yellow cornmeal (bread crumbs)
• ¼ cup milk (almond milk)
• 1 large egg
• ½  tsp salt
• ½  tsp ground black pepper
• ½  tsp ground cumin

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• 1 cup quinoa or long-grain rice

Preparation:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 ¾ cups onions, 2 garlic cloves and bay leaves; sauté 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juices, salsa and ¼ cup cilantro; bring to boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine ground beef, pork sausage, cornmeal, milk, egg, salt, pepper, cumin, then remaining 1 cup onions, 2 garlic cloves and ¼ cup cilantro in medium bowl. Mix well. Shape meat mixture by generous tablespoonfuls into 1- to 1 ¼ -inch balls. Add rice and meatballs to soup and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice and meatballs are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with hot-out of the oven- Empanada's.

Empanada's

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large Spanish onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½  pounds ground beef
• 1 ½  pounds ground pork
• 10 pickled cherry peppers/ jalapeños (take your pick, hot or mild), chopped
• 2 Tbl of the brine from the cherry pepper jar
• 2 Tbl of tomato paste
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:

• Heat a large skillet to medium high, cover the bottom of the skillet with the olive oil, add the onion and garlic, and fry until the onions and garlic are transparent and starting to brown
• Add the beef and pork, stirring and mixing with the onion/garlic mix until they are fairly well done
• Drain the grease from the pan, then turn the heat to low
• Stir in the cherry peppers, pickling brine, tomato paste and mashed potatoes, and mix it well enough so that you have this gloppy concoction that sticks together

• Turn off the heat, taste your filling, and adjust with salt and cayenne pepper to your taste, stirring things up so that the salt and pepper are evenly distributed throughout the mixture

Now you will be ready to fill your pastries. I use Rhodes frozen dinner rolls dough. I use 1 roll per empanada. Same dough i use for my Runza's.

Place a large rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the dough, fold dough over and press seal closed with a fork. Bake for 10-15 min until the Empanada's are browned.

This soup has a KICK to it for sure! The garlic and peppers add so much flavor to the broth- it makes me wonder how may other delicious variations of this I can make!

Enjoy!

Heather