Spanish Meatballs in Almond Sauce

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Oh boy, do I have a treat for you today.  These Spanish Meatballs in Almond Sauce are absolutely amazing!!!  Diane at Simple Living and Eating has created a new Food of the World Link Party that features a different country each month, and this month is Spain…..

So I dusted off my trusty Spanish-style recipes book called “Tapas” and started searching for the perfect meal.  If you have never heard of Tapas before, it translates as “to cover”, but most people think of it as “small bites”.  They are cute little foods that are easy to eat while mingling with guests and holding a drink.  The original recipe is written in a combination of weights and volume measurements that were very confusing, so I converted it the best that I could.  During the conversion process, I made a few mistakes.  You would never know it, these little meatballs were amazing…..

Mistakes I made:

#1 – you do not need to thoroughly cook the meatballs in the first step, you just need to brown them.

#2 – if you could call it that.  I used a small cookie scoop to make them easier and faster.  I ended up with 21 instead of 30.

#3 – I did not notice that you were supposed to squeeze lemon juice over them before you serve them.  We thought they were delicious just the way they were, so it’s your choice.

How to make Spanish Meatballs:

To make the Meatballs:

Place bread in a bowl and add water. Allow water to soak for 5 minutes.

With your hands, squeeze out all of the water and place in a large bowl.

Add the pork, onion, garlic, parsley, nutmeg, egg, and salt & pepper. Knead the mixture together until it forms a smooth mixture.

Spread flour on a large plate. Using a small cookie scoop (1 1/2 Tablespoon size), or floured hands, form approximately 21 meatballs. Roll in the flour until coated.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add half of the meatballs, and cook for 4 – 5 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Remove the meatballs from the skillet and set aside.

Add the remaining meatballs to the skillet and cook for 4 – 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

To make the Almond Sauce:

Heat the olive oil in the same skillet that you cooked the meatballs in. Add the bread and almonds, and cook stirring frequently until they are golden brown.

Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and boil for 1 – 2 minutes. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan.

Pour sauce mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Pour in the vegetable stock and blend mixture until smooth.

Return almond sauce to the skillet and carefully add the meatballs. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until the meatballs are tender and thoroughly cooked.

Garnish with chopped Italian parsley, and serve.

Part of the confusion stems from the recipe calling for “4 cups of lean ground pork”.  I bought 1 pound of pork, which would be closer to 2 cups…or so I thought.  I am still not sure.  The original recipe claims to make 30 tiny meatballs, so if I used half of the ingredients, I should end up with half the amount of meatballs.  My version made 21 meatballs using a 1 and a 1/2″ cookie scoop.  Like I said, very confusing measurements!

Even though they were overcooked, you never would have guessed it.  They were still moist, tender, delicious and the Almond Sauce is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

Enjoy!!

Spanish Meatballs in Almond Sauce

These wonderfully flavored Spanish Meatballs in Almond Sauce are the perfect appetizer and will definitely impress your guests, or your family!

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Spanish

Keyword: appetizer, pork, meatballs, almond, sauce, recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Calories: 525kcal

Author: Lisa Johnson

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 slice bread crust removed
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 pound ground pork substitute beef, or turkey
• 3/4 cups finely chopped onion
• 1 large clove garlic crushed / pressed
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 large egg beaten
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• sea salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour for coating meatballs
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Almond Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 slice bread
• 3/4 cups blanched almonds I used slivered
• 2 large cloves garlic chopped / minced
• 2/3 cups dry white wine I used Savignon Blanc
• sea salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 3/4 cups organic vegetable stock

Instructions

To make the Meatballs:

• Place bread in a bowl and add water. Allow water to soak for 5 minutes.
• With your hands, squeeze out all of the water and place in a large bowl.
• Add the pork, onion, garlic, parsley, nutmeg, egg, and salt & pepper. Knead the mixture together until it forms a smooth mixture.
• Spread flour on a large plate. Using a small cookie scoop (1 1/2 Tablespoon size), or floured hands, form approximately 21 meatballs. Roll in the flour until coated.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add half of the meatballs, and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Remove the meatballs from the skillet and set aside.
• Add the remaining meatballs to the skillet and cook for 4 - 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

To make the Almond Sauce:

• Heat the olive oil in the same skillet that you cooked the meatballs in. Add the bread and almonds, and cook stirring frequently until they are golden brown.
• Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and boil for 1 - 2 minutes. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Pour sauce mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Pour in the vegetable stock and blend mixture until smooth.
• Return almond sauce to the skillet and carefully add the meatballs. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until the meatballs are tender and thoroughly cooked.
• Garnish with chopped Italian parsley, and serve.

Notes

• These meatballs are meant to be served as part of a Tapas Meal, not as a main course.
• If you use a smaller scoop, you should get closer to 30 tiny meatballs.

Nutrition

Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 420mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5.1% | Vitamin C: 4.1% | Calcium: 7.8% | Iron: 15.5%