Hey There! It has been a really long time since I posted a new recipe as I have been somewhat laid up with a severely busted left wing. I decided this Mexican Meatball recipe was a really good one to post for my comeback as with the ever rising cost of living, one of the cheapest forms of protein is mince. You can still buy (at this point) 500gms of mince beef, pork, chicken or lamb for under $10 and it is so versatile and a little goes a long way. To stretch it further, double the recipe and this would be suitable to freeze for another meal.
This recipe for Mexican Meatballs is also extremely versatile. Please feel free to adapt the recipe to suit your taste or budget. It would be equally delicious on plain rice, on top of corn chips to make oozy Nacho’s or with a side of cheesy grilled tortillas. You can omit the charred corn and add a tin of sweet corn, or you can leave it off altogether and just pop a dollop of sour cream, a smattering of tasty cheese with a few pickled jalapeno chilli’s. So, in a nutshell, the Mexican Meatball is your oyster!
For this recipe I used my own Mexican Spice Blend but feel free to use store bought. If you like to eat a lot of Mexican and are like me and not particularly a fan of preservatives and excessive amounts of salt & sugar in your food, then this is a fantastic spice blend to make in a large, air tight jar to have on hand in your pantry. It tastes so much better and is so much healthier.
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cooking time: 40 Minutes
$$ Medium Budget
Serves 4
For the Mexican Meatballs:
500gm of pork mince
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 long green chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
2 tbs of Em’s Mexican Spice Blend
1/2 a cup of sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 bunch of coriander stalks, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 a cup of breadcrumbs
Sea salt & Pepper
For the Mexican Meatballs Sauce:
Olive oil for frying
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 brown onion, finely diced
1 heaped tbs of Em’s Mexican Spice Blend
Juice of 1 lime
400gm tin of chopped tomatoes
400gm tin of Black Beans
1 heaped tsp of sugar
Sea salt & pepper
1/2 a cup of chopped coriander leaves
Sour cream and coriander sprigs for garnish
For the Charred Corn & Avocado Salsa:
2 fresh corn cobs, husks peeled
1 avocado, diced
1 green chilli, seeds removed and finely diced
1/2 a red onion, finely diced
2 tbs of finely chopped coriander
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt & Pepper
For the Mexican Red Rice:
1 tbs of olive oil for frying
1 cup of Basmati rice, very well rinsed until the water runs clear and drained
1 small brown onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 long green chilli, finely diced (seeds removed if you like less heat)
1 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken stock
400gm tin of diced tomatoes
A couple of coriander stems and roots, well rinsed to remove any grit
To make the Mexican Meatballs place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and use your hand to combine well. Once combined, shape the meatballs into golf ball sized balls (500gm makes approximately 12) and pop them on a plate in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes while you make the sauce.
To prepare the sauce, heat a large frypan and add a little oil. Fry the onion until soft and then add the garlic and fry until aromatic before adding the spice blend. Fry for approximately 1 minute before adding the lime juice, tomatoes and beans. Fill the tomato tin about half way with water, to rinse it and add to the sauce. Season with salt, pepper and sugar, stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, place the meatballs in the pan and gently spoon the sauce over. Cover with a lid and simmer for 25 minutes (longer if you like or just until the meatballs are cooked through) and turn the meatballs over at about the half way mark. Just before serving, gently stir through the coriander.
To make the salsa, place the corn cobs in a smoking hot griddle pan or BBQ and cook on all sides until nice and charred. Remove and allow to cool slightly before standing the corn upright and running your knife down the sides of the corn to remove the kernels. Place the corn in a bowl with the avocado, chilli, red onion, coriander and lime juice. Season with salt & pepper and combine.
To make the rice, heat a heavy based saucepan and add a little oil. Fry the onion until soft then add the garlic, chilli and rice. Stir for a minute or so until the rice is toasted and well coated in the oil. Pour in the stock and tomatoes and add the coriander stems, mix well and allow the mixture to come up to the boil. Once boiling, pop a lid on and reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the rice to rest for 5-10 minutes without removing the lid.
To assemble the dish, spoon the Red Rice mixture onto serving plates. Top with meatballs and ladle over the sauce before topping with sour cream, the charred corn & avocado salsa and coriander sprigs.