FINDING ARIZONA KITCHENS: ALBONDIGAS SOUP

Albondigas (Mexican Meatball) Soup is one of my top 3 favorite soups! Its full of flavor, delicious meatballs and juicy vegetables. Growing up my best friend would have it cooking in her home every Friday and the smell just brings back so many memories. I saw a close friend making it and asked for the recipe. After a few tweaks and measurements, its perfect, and I am ready to share it with your kitchen too!

Ingredients:

• 1 Stalk Celery 

• 1 Bag Baby Carrots 

• 2-3 Large Potatoes

• 1 Onion

• 6 Cloves of Garlic

• 4-6 Ears of Corn

• 2-3 Large Zucchini

• 1 Bunch Cilantro

• 3/4 Cup Uncooked Rice

• 1 Can Diced Tomatoes

• 1 Can Tomato Sauce

• 1 lb. ground beef

• 2 Eggs

• 2-3 Cubes Chicken Bouillon

Directions:

1. Dice onion and garlic. Saute in a large soup pot half of your onion and garlic in olive oil until golden- not brown. While you are watching the onion you can begin to prep your meatballs.

2. Mix in a bowl ground beef, remaining garlic and onion, cilantro, uncooked rice and pepper and salt if desired. Chill in fridge and allow flavors to blend and meat to get cold. Meatballs are easier to form the colder your mixture.

3. When your onions are golden in your pot,  add diced tomatoes and let simmer to blend flavors.

4. Add tomato sauce and water to create a 3/4 full pot. Add bouillon and bring to a rolling boil before you add in any meatballs. But, while you’re waiting you can continue to prep your meatballs.

5. Using your hands, roll meat mixture into meat balls all the same size and place them, softly and one by one, in boiling water 20 minutes. Cover. Meatballs will begin to float once fully cooked.

6. After 15 minutes of the meatballs boiling add vegetables chopped to your preference of a bite size and stir occasionally. Be very gently the more aggressive you are the more your meatballs break in your soup.

7. One pot will serve between 8-12 people. It is best serve garnished with fresh diced onion, cilantro, lime, and crushed red peppers. Leftovers, if you have any are good for 3 days. I also paired it with a garlic avocado sourdough toast.

This soup is perfect for the chilly weather and also goes well will all the tamales you have left over from the holidays. Thanks for getting in the kitchen with me, again. Looking forward to more recipes.

XoXo Britt

FINDING ARIZONA KITCHENS: ZUPPA TOSCANA

Practicing my wifey skills in the kitchen I have learned to make a damn good soup! And once you master a skill you really see how far you can take it. I have done it you guys! I have recreated The Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana! And here it is- Print it and add to your recipe collection.

Ingredients:

• 1  Lb Ground Italian Sausage

• 3  Tbls Butter

• 2  Tbls Flour

• 2  C Milk

• 4  C Chicken Broth

• 3  Lg Potatoes Thinly Sliced

• 1  Bunch De-stemmed Kale

• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Get yourself a nice ground italian sausage meat. I like a spicy one and recommend getting fresh from a deli. Yes, I have made it with the Walmart meats, but there is a difference. After you brown the sausage remove from pan and leave the grease!

2. Melt butter in grease and whisk flour. We are making a ROUX people! Basically the best beginning to a gravy- flour and fat! This is an important step: cook flour a few minutes to remove flour taste, like 35 minutes on low heat.

3. Once the Roux is thick, add the milk 1 cup at a time. Wisk in with fork. (if you stop after 1 cup you have an amazing gravy and my family’s secret gravy recipe, so you are welcome). Add salt and pepper if desired. 

4. Next add the chicken broth. One cup at a time, stir until it reaches rolling boil. Re add the sausage.

5. While the broth is boiling up, slice potatoes into 1/8 - 1/4 inch add to boiling broth. Drop in slowly as not to splash and burn yourself.

6. While the papatoes cook, wash and de stem your kale. Once potatoes are fork tender (about 10- 15 minutes) add kale and lid stirring occasionally. Boil for 10 minutes to soften kale.

7. Serve it warm and feed 4-6 people. You can store leftovers for only a day if they last but also because the potatoes start getting mushy after day 2. There probably wont be left overs thought, js.

Let me know what you think, and how it turned out!

XoXo Britt

Copy of FINDING ARIZONA KITCHENS: ZUPPA TOSCANA

Practicing my wifey skills in the kitchen I have learned to make a damn good soup! And once you master a skill you really see how far you can take it. I have done it you guys! I have recreated The Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana! And here it is- Print it and add to your recipe collection.

Ingredients:

• 1  Lb Ground Italian Sausage

• 3  Tbls Butter

• 2  Tbls Flour

• 2  C Milk

• 4  C Chicken Broth

• 3  Lg Potatoes Thinly Sliced

• 1  Bunch De-stemmed Kale

• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Get yourself a nice ground italian sausage meat. I like a spicy one and recommend getting fresh from a deli. Yes, I have made it with the Walmart meats, but there is a difference. After you brown the sausage remove from pan and leave the grease!

2. Melt butter in grease and whisk flour. We are making a ROUX people! Basically the best beginning to a gravy- flour and fat! This is an important step: cook flour a few minutes to remove flour taste, like 35 minutes on low heat.

3. Once the Roux is thick, add the milk 1 cup at a time. Wisk in with fork. (if you stop after 1 cup you have an amazing gravy and my family’s secret gravy recipe, so you are welcome). Add salt and pepper if desired. 

4. Next add the chicken broth. One cup at a time, stir until it reaches rolling boil. Re add the sausage.

5. While the broth is boiling up, slice potatoes into 1/8 - 1/4 inch add to boiling broth. Drop in slowly as not to splash and burn yourself.

6. While the papatoes cook, wash and de stem your kale. Once potatoes are fork tender (about 10- 15 minutes) add kale and lid stirring occasionally. Boil for 10 minutes to soften kale.

7. Serve it warm and feed 4-6 people. You can store leftovers for only a day if they last but also because the potatoes start getting mushy after day 2. There probably wont be left overs thought, js.

Let me know what you think, and how it turned out!

XoXo Britt