Meatballs in Almond Sauce
Albondigas swimming in a sauce thickened with fried bread and almonds instead of flour, which is an old Andalusian trick and a very good one. Nutty, savoury and built for bread-dipping.
- Total time
- 19 min
- Serves
- 3
- Effort
- Medium
What you need
Written for 3 — nudge the counter and the numbers follow.
0 of 10 in the basket.
How you make it
Mix the mince, breadcrumbs, egg, half the parsley, 1 grated garlic clove, salt and pepper, then roll into 18 balls about 3cm across.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs for 4 minutes, turning, then set them aside; they will not be cooked through yet.
Add the rest of the oil and fry the almonds, bread and remaining garlic for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is golden, watching the garlic closely.
Blitz that mixture with the wine and 100ml of the stock in a blender until it becomes a smooth pale paste.
Return the paste to the pan with the remaining stock, whisk smooth and simmer 2 minutes until it thickens like a thin gravy.
Slide the meatballs back in, cover and simmer gently for 7 to 8 minutes, turning once, until they are firm and cooked right through to the centre with no pink remaining, as minced meat always must be. Scatter with the rest of the parsley.
Loosen with a splash of stock if the sauce tightens too far, then season and serve with bread.
Read all that and thought “absolutely not”?
Completely fair. Meatballs in Almond Sauce is sitting in the Spanish kitchen right now, it costs nothing, and it will never arrive.
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Small plates, long evenings, olive oil everywhere.