Serrano Ham, Lemon and Green Olive Meatballs in Tomato and Sherry Sauce
A must-have dish for any tapas party. Created by Rick Stein, these Spanish meatballs are made from a medley of Serrano ham, pork, green olives and lemon.
From the book
Rick Stein’s Spain
Recreate authentic Spanish dishes at home
A guide to Spain's delicious and diverse cuisine
140 recipes from Rick Stein's hit BBC2 series
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Introduction
Albóndigas are found all over Spain, tiny ones in tapas bars usually covered in sauce and served in little cazuelitas with cocktail sticks for spearing them, or larger ones on market stalls ready to be cooked at home. They are probably another of those dishes introduced to Spain during the Moorish occupation, reminiscent as they are of the köfte of the Middle East, often spiced with cumin and coriander, but I have to say I like these ones, which are flavoured with some finely chopped green olives, a little serrano ham and some lemon zest.
Ingredients
| For the meatballs: | |
| 50g | crustless white bread |
| Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon | |
| 150g | thinly sliced serrano ham |
| 350g | lean minced pork |
| 350g | minced veal or chicken |
| 3 | garlic cloves, crushed |
| 50g | pitted green olives, finely chopped |
| 2 tbsp | chopped flat-leaf parsley |
| ¼ tsp | pimentón picante (smoked hot Spanish paprika) |
| 4 tbsp | olive oil |
| For the sauce: | |
| 3 tbsp | olive oil |
| 1 | medium onion, finely chopped |
| 3 | garlic cloves, crushed |
| ½ tsp | tsp pimentón, sweet or hot |
| 2 x 400g cans | chopped tomatoes |
| 200ml | fino sherry or dry white wine |
| 2 | fresh bay leaves |
| 200ml | chicken stock |
| Salt |
Essential kit
You will need a a food processor.
Method
Break the bread into a small bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water. Leave to soak for 5 minutes. Drop the sliced serrano ham into a food processor and process using the pulse button until finely chopped.
Lightly squeeze the excess moisture from the bread and put it into a mixing bowl with the minced pork and minced veal or chicken, serrano ham, garlic, olives, parsley, lemon zest, pimento and 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Mix together well with your hands then take a little piece of the mixture and fry it in a drop of oil, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Form the mixture into about 60 small, tapas-sized meatballs.
Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add half the meatballs to the pan and fry for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then, until nicely browned all over. Lift them out onto a plate and set to one side. Repeat with the remainder of the meatballs, using the rest of the olive oil.
For the sauce, heat the oil in the frying pan, add the onion, garlic and pimentón and fry gently for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sherry, bay leaves, chicken stock and ½ teaspoon of salt and simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes until cooked through. Remove and discard the bay leaves, spoon the meatballs and sauce into several small shallow dishes and serve while still warm with some cocktail sticks alongside.
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