December in San Diego: an immaculate time of sunshine and cold wind. In the mornings you're layering yourself with flannels and scarves but by the afternoon you're dying of heat exhaustion. Nothing can beat it. In my Albondigas recipe, I break down the ingredients needed by storage, then by what they're going to be used for. This soup has bacon fat, which other Albondigas recipes don't call for, but I just think its wrong looking at your spoon on not seeing those beautiful and sinful circles of fat in your broth. Luckily this soup doesn't take hours to make, as such do most soups, you can also add other vegetables to it too if you want. Is this honestly even a fucking recipe anymore? I don't know, but just try it and let me know how you like it. (I'm on. my four bowl as we speak, burning my tongue in the same exact spot with each sip, and I think its fantastic. So let's get started.

Ingredients:
Refrigerated:
2 lbs of ground beef
2 eggs
Produce:
1 white onion
1 bunch of mint
1 bunch of cilantro
4 garlic cloves
5 roma tomatoes
4-5 gold potatoes, squared
4 stalks of carrots
2 stalks of celery
2 zucchini
Cut corn on the cob
1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (brands like La Costena, Embasa, San Marcos)
1 cup of rice
Seasonings:
Garlic salt
Dried Oregano
Black Pepper
Cumin
Onion Powder
Chicken Bouillon
Tomato Bouillon
Beef Bouillon
Mushroom or vegetable Bouillon
⅔ tablespoons of bacon fat or lard

Breaking down the ingredients by what you’re going to use them for:

Meatballs:
2lbs of ground beef
2 eggs
½ white onion, diced
½ cup of mint
1 chipotle pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons of garlic salt
2 teaspoons of oregano
2 teaspoons of black pepper
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of beef bouillon

Soup base:
5 roma tomatoes
1/2 onion (charred)
Chipotle peppers
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons of tomato bouillon
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of mushroom or vegetable bouillon
1 teaspoon of beef bouillon
1 cup of water

Broth:
2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat or lard
1 tablespoon of Mushroom or Vegetable Bouillon
1 tablespoon of Chicken Bouillon
1 teaspoon of black pepper
Vegetables:
4-5 gold potatoes, squared
4 stalks of carrots, peeled and cut
2 stalks of celery, cut
2 zucchini cut
Cut corn on the cob
3 to 5 cups of water
4-5 mint leaves

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Directions:

Preheat your oven to “High Broil”
Line an aluminum pan with foil and add your 5 roma tomatoes and ½ onion and set for 5-7 minutes (until charred)
Take a large stock pot and set your stove top to medium heat
Chop 2 zucchinis, 4 stalks of carrots (peeled), 2 stalks of celery, and 4-5 gold potatoes (squared), chop corn on the cob into smaller pieces if needed to do so
Add in 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat or lard to your pot and add in your carrots, celery and 4-5 potatoes, leaving out the zucchinis
Stir to coat with fat, and then add in 1 tablespoon of mushroom or vegetable bouillon, 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon and let cook for 5-10 minutes or so
Afterward, and 3 to 5 cups of water (making sure to have everything completely submerged, along with 1 inch of water above the vegetables)
Add in your 1 teaspoon of black pepper
Cover and prepare your soup base
In a blender or food processor add your 2 garlic cloves and blend until minced, then add in your 5 charred roma tomatoes, and ½ onion, 3-4 chipotle peppers and the adobo sauce (making sure to leave one left for the meatballs later), 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon, 2 teaspoons of tomato bouillon, 1 teaspoon of beef bouillon, 2 teaspoons of cumin, and 1 cup of water
Blend until desired consistency (if you want thicker tomatoes or a complete puree)
Add your mixture to your vegetables in your stock pot and let it cook on medium heat, covered
For your meatballs begin with 2 lbs of ground beef in a very large mixing bowl
Mince half of a white onion, 1/2 cup of mint, 1 chipotle pepper from a can and 2 garlic cloves
Add in 1 cup of rice to your mixing bowl, along with 2 teaspoons of garlic salt, 2 teaspoons of oregano, 2 teaspoons of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of cumin, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, and 2 eggs
Then your white onion, mint, chipotle pepper and 2 garlic cloves and mix
Stir your pot and bring it to high heat, add in your zucchini now
Morph into meatballs until your meat mixture is completely gone
By the time you’re done with your meatballs, your soup should be coming to a rolling boil
Drop your meatballs one by one with a ladle
Cover and let cook on high heat for 5-6 minutes
Afterward, let some cool to taste test
If too savory or salty, add in more water, if needing more flavor, add more tomato bouillon
Add in your 4-5 mint leaves and bring it to a medium heat
Serve with cilantro, and white onion