Spanish meatballs (albondigas) with pickled green beans are a staple at my family’s Passover seder. They’re flavorful, tangy and a little bit spicy. Over rice (if you eat rice during Passover), they make a meal themselves. True peasant food, they’re a hearty celebration of what simple ingredients can become when treated really well and hugged a little bit. I always look forward to Passover for this Sephardic dish.
(Photo: Avi Shemtov)
Albondigas With Pickled Green Beans
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- Pinch ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups green beans
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 white onion, julienned
- 3 medium tomatoes, diced
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, incorporate into the ground beef the diced onion, two of the minced garlic cloves, parsley, paprika, cloves and salt. Separate into eight 2-ounce balls and roll into torpedo-shaped meatballs.
- Toss the green beans (I leave the ends for this version) in the white vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the julienned onion, remaining minced garlic and tomatoes, with a pinch of parsley. Allow the onions and tomatoes to sweat, then add the cayenne pepper. Stir occasionally and add water as necessary until the tomatoes break down to a rustic sauce.
- In a large cast-iron pan or other oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat, heat the canola oil. After 1-2 minutes, add the meatballs. Brown on each side for 2-3 minutes and then add the sauce and green beans to the pan.
- Place the pan in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the meatballs are 155 degrees at their center. Serve hot.
(Photo: Avi Shemtov)
