That's a spicy Mexican Meatball
Ingredients
- 2 Lb Ground meat Can be beef. or you could do a ground poultry version like chicken or turkey
- 1 cup Finely diced onion
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Garlic
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Jalapeno
- 1/4 Cup Quinoa
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander
- 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Scallion
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Avocado oil for cooking
- For Sauce:
- 3 Cups Marinara sauce
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 Cup Lime Juice
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: Boil water with a little salt. Stir in the quinoa. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Do not overcook or it will become bitter and too mushy. Cool the quinoa until ready to use.
- make the sauce. Heat a little avocado oil in a pot. Add in the dry spices and mix, cooking over medium heat until they form an aromatic paste. Add the lime juice and continue stirring. Then add in the tomato sauce.. Adjust seasoning.
- Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan. Saute the onion and garlic. Add in the dry spices and jalapeno. Stir well until aromatic and the onions and garlic are soft.
- Put all ingredients in a big bowl and mix well. You don't want chunks of anything. All ingredients should be evenly distributed. Take a little bit of the mix. Cook in a pan with a little oil. Taste the meat to see if it is seasoned right. Make any flavor adjustments at this point. When done, scoop balls and roll them until smooth. Place on a flat pan until ready to cook.
- You can either cook the meatballs in a 400 degree oven or saute them in a pan on the stove. You can break one open to make sure it's cooked all the way through or use a chef's thermometer to make sure they are 155 degrees or more inside. Meanwhile heat the sauce to a simmer and transfer the meatballs to the sauce. Serve hot.
Notes
While beef is fine here, you can use whatever kind of meat you want. Lamb can be a bit gamey for some tastes. But, it's your call. I like to keep it a little lighter with poultry. But, again, it's your choice.
The quinoa acts as a binding agent, and gives an interesting texture. We use it in place of bread. But, you could use bread or tortillas if you prefer.
The sauce is a bit impromptu. You may have some tomato sauce in house anyway. If not, simply saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add red wine and reduce that. Then add in crushed tomato and water. Add some basil and simmer for at least an hour, stirring as needed. When the acid is mostly cooked out, season with salt and pepper. This makes a good base. Then, just add in your Mexican seasoning. You could even add in some chocolate to make a mole.