This Albondigas soup is very authentic . Albondigas means meatballs in Spanish. The secret to real albondigas soup is the mint and rice in the meatballs. This can be served as a starter dish or as the entrée. Either way it is delicious.

Ingredients:

2-tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
½ cup tomato sauce
3 quarts chicken stock or beef stock
2 large carrots, sliced
½ lb. String beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-pound ground beef
1/3-cup raw rice
1 raw egg
½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
½ cup cilantro
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1-1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
Dried oregano, crumbled
½-cup chopped fresh cilantro

Procedure:

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and broth mixture. Bring to boil and simmer. Add carrots and string beans.

Prepare meatballs. Mix rice into meat, adding mint and parsley leave, salt and pepper. Mix. Add raw egg. Form beef mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Return soup to gentle simmer. Add meatballs to soup. Cover and let simmer for ½ hour. Add peas toward the end of the ½ hour. Add a few pinches of oregano and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with fresh chopped cilantro.