ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Eaters in those cultures also seem to understand that making meatballs is kind of a production, so while such dishes are humble and thrifty, they’re celebrated as something special. Spaghetti with meatballs seems like a step up from a plain marinara sauce with ground beef, doesn’t it?

Typically, these meatballs are made from beef, pork, or veal — or a combination thereof. I wondered why there was no tradition of making these with ground chicken or turkey.

A couple of hours of research led me to the answer. Ground poultry is very lean, and will make a hard, dry meatball if used alone.

Fortunately, that nubbin of chorizo in my fridge provided the solution. Rich and fatty, just a little chorizo would offset the ground poultry’s leanness. I set about a trial to test the hypothesis.

I had about a pound of ground chicken in the freezer, together with some roasted chiles and onions, so that’s what I used. Use ground turkey if you prefer. You can use fresh onion and fresh chile if that’s what you have on hand. One of the meatball’s many charms is that it’s almost infinitely adaptable.

It’s the same with the rice, which lends a little structure to these little meatballs and stretches the meat even further. I happened to have a little leftover cooked rice in the fridge, but you can use raw rice if you haven’t any rice that’s already cooked. You’ll need to cook the meatballs longer if you use raw rice, however. If breadcrumbs are in your pantry, you can use those, too; use the same measure as the cooked rice in the recipe below.

The spicy chorizo does most of the seasoning work for you, so just a little cumin and garlic are all you need to add.

In most cultures, the meatballs are poached in the liquid of whatever they’re to accompany – in a soup, say, or in marinara sauce for spaghetti. I wanted to serve these in a sturdy chicken vegetable soup but I feared the fatty crimson-colored chorizo would make the soup greasy and color it oddly. Instead, I poached the meatballs ahead of time and added them to the soup to heat through just before serving.

It’s important to simmer the meatballs gently, so the water’s movement doesn’t break them into pieces. You’ll know they’re fully cooked when they float to the surface. If you’re using raw rice, cook them for about 20 to 25 minutes to ensure the rice is fully cooked.

I had enough meatballs to enjoy with soup for dinner and lunch the following day, plus a half dozen to stash in the freezer for some other meal. Right now, I’m thinking a sandwich of meatballs, salsa, and shredded cheese, run under the broiler so the cheese is nicely melted, would be an especially good use for them.

When I cook humble dishes like this, I feel a kinship to frugal cooks across time and space. It’s a good feeling, and one that I cherish. It tells me, once again, that we’re all in this life together.

Chicken-chorizo albóndigas

Makes about 10 to 12 meatballs

Ground poultry is pretty lean, so the chorizo’s fat will help these little meatballs stay moist and light. If yours are hard and dry, your mixture is too lean or you overworked them in the shaping — or both. The cooking water should barely bubble so that the simmering meatballs don’t fall apart. While you could cook these directly in a soup they will make the broth greasy, so I prefer to poach them separately and add them to whatever dish I’m going to enjoy.

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken or turkey

4 ounces chorizo

1 egg

1 poblano chile, seeded and minced

½ cup cooked rice (see note)

½ medium onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon cumin

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing well with your hands or a fork.

Bring a medium sized saucepan filled with water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer.

Form the chicken-chorizo mixture into meatballs using your hands or, if the mixture is too wet to hold together, using a scoop.

Drop the meatballs into the simmering water as you shape them. Poach the meatballs gently.

When they rise to the surface, in about 10 minutes, they’re done.

To serve, add 2 to 3 meatballs to a bowl of soup, use as a side to spaghetti, or as a sandwich.

Note: If you don’t have cooked rice on hand, you can substitute raw rice. Use 2 tablespoons raw rice and expect to simmer the albóndigas for about 20 to 25 minutes.