Serves8 (hors d’oeuvre)
- Active time:30 min
- Start to finish:40 min
November 2008
Albóndigas
(meatballs) are often served in a soup or a sauce, but our skewered version needs only a squeeze of refreshing lime juice to bring out their meaty richness. Spicy chipotle, crumbled bacon, and a hint of cumin make them unforgettable.
View more of our favorite recipes from this issue.
-
1/3
cup
whole milk
-
1/3
cup
fine dry bread crumbs
-
6
bacon slices, chopped
-
1/2
cup
finely chopped onion
-
1
tablespoon
chopped garlic
-
1
tablespoon
finely chopped seeded canned chipotles in adobo
-
1
teaspoon
ground cumin
-
3/4
teaspoon
dried oregano
-
2
tablespoons
water
-
3/4
lb
ground pork
-
1/2
lb
ground veal
-
1
large egg, lightly beaten
-
1/4
cup
chopped flat-leaf parsley
-
Stir together milk and bread crumbs in a large bowl.
-
Cook bacon in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
-
Pour off all but 1 Tbsp fat from skillet, then cook onion, garlic, chipotles, cumin, and oregano in skillet, stirring, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add water and cook, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until water has evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir into bread crumb mixture, then add ground meats, egg, parsley, bacon, and 1 tsp salt and mix well with your hands.
-
Preheat broiler.
-
Form scant tablespoons of meat mixture into balls and thread 3 balls 1/2 inch apart onto each skewer, arranging skewers on a lightly oiled broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat (do not turn) until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
Cooks’ note: Meatballs can be formed and skewered, but not cooked, 1 day ahead and chilled.
