While poring over old columns and photos and trying to figure out what to write about this week, it occurred to me that most of my columns start off with me talking about the weather and what that weather makes me want to eat. So if you’re sick of me talking about the weather (it’s cold) and how it makes me want to eat hot things (soup!), too bad! It just happened, again! Because the dead of winter is often only made better by tucking into a warm, comforting bowl of deliciousness.
This week, I recommend you transport yourself to Mexico with this soup, composed of a rich, spicy tomato broth spiked with a hint of lime, made hearty with the addition of savoury bite-sized meatballs and rice.
Ironically, the first time I had the pleasure of tasting this Mexican albondigas soup, it was in the dead heat of summer, when friends made it during a cottage weekend as a lunch dish. No matter that it was 30 degrees and sweltering and normally all we might have wanted was a salad (or, realistically, a piece of watermelon and a Coors Light, a.k.a. my “cottage diet”), all of us wolfed the soup down like it was the middle of February and we hadn’t eaten for days. That’s how good it is. (Also, now I am really missing summer, cottages, cold beer and watermelon on a hot day. Sorry, everyone.)
The original recipe used beef for the meatballs, but I like to lighten it up and use turkey instead — it’s honestly just as good, as the meatballs are poached right in the soup and tend to stay really moist with the addition of the cornmeal. Also, you avoid getting so much of the beef fat encased in the soup as turkey is much leaner. If you are short on time, you could skip the meatballs and just add some shredded chicken breast from a pre-roasted rotisserie chicken. Toppings are up to you — home fried tortilla strips (or broken up tortilla chips), cubed avocado, shredded cheddar, sour cream, what have you. This is a great dish to serve at a potluck, where friends can each have a small bowl and add their own toppings. And if you’ve got time, this will always pair fabulously with a wedge of skillet cornbread.
Mexican Meatball Soup
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Serves 4-6
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 bay leaves
8 cups beef broth or chicken broth
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
⅓ cup plus 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup long grain rice (optional)
1 lb ground turkey, pork or beef
5 tbsp ground yellow cornmeal
¼ cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
½ tsp cumin
Toppings (optional, whichever you prefer):
Fried tortilla strips or broken up tortilla chips
Grated cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Fresh cilantro
Chopped green onions
Hot sauce
Diced avocado
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add ⅔ of the onions, half the garlic, and the jalapeno peppers. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the bay leaves, cumin, chili powder, and cook gently for a few more minutes. Add broth, tomatoes and juices, and ⅓ cup cilantro. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, about 15 minutes.
2. While soup is simmering, prepare meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground meat with cornmeal, milk, egg, salt, pepper, cumin, 3 tbsp cilantro and mix well (using your hands works best). Working with wet hands, form meatballs into 1 to 1 ½ inch balls, and drop into simmering soup. Add rice, if using, and bring soup to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover pot, and cook gently until rice is tender and meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally (about 20 minutes).
3. Season soup to taste with salt and squeeze of fresh lime. Ladle into bowls and allow guests to top with their preferred toppings tableside.
Sara Chan is a Toronto-based entertainment lawyer, food enthusiast, unprofessional home chef and even less professional food photographer. Her favourite food group is pork.