Albondigas Manchega

Ok, yes it is a fancy name but the dish is of fried chicken mince balls sautéed in a tomato and green olive sauce.

This is apparently a Morroccon dish which uses Manchega cheese too, but I didn’t use it as the recipe I followed didn’t mention it :-).

So here is my take on Albondigas Manchega

Ingredients

For the Chicken Balls

220 grams of chicken mince,

1 egg,

50 grams of bread crumbs,

½ tsp dried thyme,

½ tsp dried basil,

1 pod of garlic (finely minced),

½ tsp mixed Italian spices,

Salt to taste,

1 tsp coarsely pounded black pepper,

Oil for deep frying

For the Tomato Sauce

2 tsp oil,

3 medium sized red tomatoes,

1 small onion,

2 tbsp spicy tomato sauce,

Salt to taste,

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper,

1 tbsp sliced green olives,

1 tsp red chilli flakes,

½ tsp dried basil,

Method

Mix all the chicken balls except the oil in a mixing bowl. Heat the oil. When hot make small balls of the mince mixture and fry on a low heat till done and golden. Make all the balls in this manner and keep aside.

Peel the tomatoes and puree them. Chop the onion

Heat 2 tsp of oil and add the chopped onion and saute till pink. Then add the pureed tomatoes, tomato sauce and sliced green olives. Season with salt and pepper. Next add the dried basil and red chilli flakes. Add a cup of water and cook for 15 minutes.

Toss the chicken balls in the tomato sauce and serve hot.

I served it with corn and soy nuggets fried rice.