Meatballs in a Chile-Tomato Broth

 Meatballs in a Chile-Tomato Broth

from Ellen's kitchen with thanks to the WSJ

Ingredients:

• 5 eggs
• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 3 oz canned tomato puree
• 1 poblano pepper, fire-roasted *
• 1 1/2 chiles de arbol, fire-roasted*
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 lbs ground pork
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 bunch chard or spinach, stems removed and leaves sliced in ribbons
• lime wedges, to garnish

Bring:

• water to boil.  Add 4 eggs.  Boil 6 minutes for medium soft insides.  Immediately remove from pot and put into cold water.  Let sit for minute or two and then peel.  

In:

• food processor, combine tomatoes, tomato puree, peppers and cilantro until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour into wide pot and bring to boil over high heat.  Add stock and return to boil.  Lower heat to medium and simmer until flavors meld, about 10 minutes.  As broth simmers, make meatballs.

In:

• large bowl, mix ground pork, garlic, onions, ginger, paprika and remaining egg.  Season with salt.  Roll mixture into balls approximately the size of golf balls.  Add meatballs to simmering broth and cook 3-5 minutes.

Now:

• either move broth to crock pot (on high) or continue on stovetop.

Add:

• potatoes and simmer until meatballs are cooked through (stovetop 20 minutes, crock pot, 1.5 hours).  Make sure that potatoes and meatballs are fully submerged.

Before:

• serving, add chard/spinach to broth and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes.  

Ladle:

• soup into bowls and top each with half egg and lime wedge.

*fire-roasted:

• put pepper on the bbq/over gas burner/under the broiler, rotating until skin is nicely blistered.  Put into zip-top bag for a few minutes and then peel pepper.