Spanish-Style Meatballs in Almond Sauce (Albóndigas) To streamline the process of making tender tapas-style meatballs in a flavorful, nicely thickened almond sauce, we started by pulsing ground pork, garlic, parsley, egg, and a panade of bread and water in a food processor. After shaping the mixture into 1-inch balls, we skipped browning, instead cooking the meatballs in a mixture of white wine, chicken broth, and softened onion flavored with paprika and saffron. This gentler method quickly cooked the meatballs through without our having to maneuver them much. For the picada, which thickens and flavors the sauce, we ground blanched almonds and bread to ensure that they were quite fine and then fried them in oil. We then mixed in minced garlic and parsley before stirring the picada into the sauce. A splash of sherry vinegar and a sprinkling of fresh parsley at the end added brightness to balance the flavors. Picada ====== 1/4 cup slivered almonds 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces 2 tbs evoo 3 tbs minced parsley (fresh) 2 garlic cloves, minced meatballs ========= 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces 1 large egg 2 tbs water 2 tbs fresh parsley, chopped divide 2 calic cloves, minced 1tsp table salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 lb ground pork 1 tbs evoo 1/2 cup finely chopped onlin 1/2 tsp paprika 1 c chicken broth 1/2 c dry white wine 1/4 tsp saffron threads, crumbled 1 tsp sherry vinegar carbs 15g, 4 servings total sometimes fully ground pork retains a slightly pink hue; trust your thermometer. these meatballs can be served as an appetizer with toothpicks or as a main course alongside a vegetable and potatoes or rice. total time 1.25 hours 1. for the picada: process almonds in food processor until finely ground, about 20s. add bread and process until bread is finely ground, about 15s. transfer almond-bread mixture to 12-inch nonstick skillet. dd oil and cook over medium heat, sirring often, until mixture is golden brown, 3-5 min. transfer to bowl. stir in parsley and garlic and set aside. wipe skillet clean with paper towels. 2. for the meatballs: process bread in now-empty processor until finely ground, about 15s. add egg, water, 1tbsp parsley, garlic, salt and pepper tand process until smooth paste forms, about 20s, scraaping down sides of bowl as necessary. add pork and pulse until combined, about 5 pulses. 3. remove processor blade. using your moistened hands, form generous 1 tbsp pork mixture into 1 inch round meatball and transfer to plate; repeat with remaining pork mixture to form about 24 meatballs. 4. heat oil in now-empty skillet oer medium heat until shimmering. add onion and cook stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6m. add paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30s. add broth and wine and bring to simmer. stir in saffron. add meatballs and adjust heat to maintain simmer. cover and cook meatballs register 160 degrees, 6-8 m, flipping meatballs once. 5. stri in picada and continue to cook, uncovered, until sauce has thickened slightly, 1 to 2 min longer. off heat, stir in venegar. season w/ salt and pper to taste. transfer to platter, sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp parsley and serve. NOTES: ====== It's definitely a UNIQUE flavor. The adults liked it, the kids not as much. If I make this again leave the Sherry vinegar out for kids, and put the bottle on the table and let people add their own vinegar. This took a lot longer to make than it said. Maybe I missed a step where I was supposed to reduce the liquid before adding the meatballs (do that next time). I ended up having to boil off the stock and wine at the end to thicken the sauce. I also used almond flour instead of blending almonds since I had that on hand. I used 1/8c almond flour as a substitute. It tasted fine, but I have nothing to compare it to. Other thoughts: saffron is expensive! I made a double recipe (so 1/4c almond flour), and a whole $10 jar of saffron (1g)!