Madrid-Style Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (Albóndigas con Tomate)

Spanish-Style meatballs have always been one of my most favorite dishes.  There was a tapas bar in Jerez, Spain that I ate at frequently as a child called Bar Alegria (Happiness Bar) and that was certainly the feeling you got as you devoured those meatballs.  Since then, my aunt and mother have been trying tirelessly to replicate that beloved balls of meat.  I was always more than happy to try each and every one of their attempts.  Unlike the Italian cousin of this dish, Spaniards tend to eat meatballs with fried potatoes.  Gotta love anything fried in oil.  This is a recipe I got at a book fair in Madrid.  It is called Madrid Al Fuego

Ingredients for 6 people

1 lb. ground beef/pork mixture
2 cloves or garlic, minced
1 teaspoon parsley
fist sized quanity of left-over inside of bread
equal quantity of milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
6 tablespoons of flour
vegetable oil for frying
2 big potatoes, cut into pieces

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons of oil that the meatballs were fried in
1 medium sized-onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup tomate frito (or homemade tomato sauce/tomato puree)
3/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

In a big bowl, mix the meat, garlic, parsley, white pepper, salt, cinnamon and bread together and blend together.  Then mix in the eggs.  At this point, its best to let this mixture set for about an hour, covered, while the flavors blend together.  Now, roll the meatballs about the same size as ping-pong balls.  Set aside.

Now in a deep pan, add oil and allow it to heat up.  Add the flour to a wide plate, and roll the meatballs, then, place them one by one into the oil and brown on each side.  Once the meatballs are brown on each side, remove and reserve.  Finish browning all the meatballs.

Once the meatballs are all brown, use some of the oil from frying the meatballs and add the onion and cook.  Cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.  Then add tomato sauce, white wine, water, salt and cumin.  Now, return all the meatballs to the pan and cover.  Let the meatballs simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until they are cooked completely.  Serve over fried potatoes with a generous helping of the sauce.