Mandonguilles

Also known as albóndigas (in Spanish) or meatballs.  Mandonguilles, as we call them in the Valencian language, are little balls of ground meat and spices.  Depending on the meat you use (ground pork or a combination of ground pork and beef) they can be served as a tapa (by themselves or in a tomato or other sauce) or as part of another dish like a paella, for example.

 

 

Today I´m showing you my Grandma´s recipe for Mandonguilles.  She always used to serve them as a tapa before lunch, although she had to hide them on top of the fridge until we were sitting around the table so my cousin and I wouldn´t eat them all before the main meal.

This recipe uses just ground pork and these are meant to be served as a tapa or to add to a meat and veggie paella.  If you want to serve them with tomato sauce (I´ll add this recipe another day) you would add ground beef as well - and skip some of the spices - for a bolder contrast with the sauce.

Here’s what you will need:

MATERIALS:

-  Frying Pan

-  Serving Plate

-  Bowl to mix all ingredients

-  Citrus zester (or grater) to grind off some of the outer lemon rind

 

INGREDIENTS:

-  1.5 lbs. of ground pork

-  1 egg

-  1.5 - 2 cups of bread (old bread soaked in water, then drained)

-  ½ cup of pine nuts

-  2 tbsps. of chopped parsley

-  ½ lemon rind grated

-  1 tbsp. of ground nutmeg

-  Salt

-  Olive oil (to fry the meatballs)

 HOW TO PREPARE IT:

 

1. Start by soaking the hardened old bread in water for a couple of minutes.  Then squeeze it and get the excess water out of it.

2. In a bowl, mix the ground pork and the bread.

3. Add salt, 1 tbsp. of nutmeg, ½ lemon grind grated, ½ cup of pine nuts, and 2 tbsps. of chopped parsley.

4. Add 1 egg to make everything stick together and mix all the ingredients very well using a fork or your - clean – hands.

5. Make little mandonguilles (or meatballs) and have them all ready on a tray to be fried.
 

6. Meanwhile heat up abundant olive oil in a frying pan and add the meatballs when it’s hot.

7. Cook at a medium to high heat and keep on turning them to ensure they become brown all around.

8. When ready, place them on top of some paper towels to absorb the extra oil.

 

9. Allow for them to cool a little bit before serving.

 Enjoy!