It’s because of Málaga’s market that we are in southern Spain right now, eating meatballs, instead of in Truro, watching the northern lights.
Even though we only briefly passed through this city on a trip last year, we fell in love with the place for its gritty, bustling Atarazanas, where a medieval shipyard was rebuilt as the city’s main market in 1870. It was loud and smelled of the sea, and it was filled with Malagueños standing at counters eating espetos and drinking cañas. Grilled sardines and a little cold beer for a mid-morning pick-me-up — what’s not to love?
On the first day of this trip, we headed straight there, settled in at a sidewalk table adjacent to the fish stalls, and ordered a special that looked like it came from the imagination of Jules Verne: the tentacles of squid and claws of langoustines reaching out to us from the edges of the platter. This is a serious seafood city.
Sometime after 9 p.m., I looked up from leafing through my Pimsleur to see that Christopher had used his dictionary full of facial expressions and hand gestures to finagle us a spot at Taberna la Malagueña. We got a table on the plaza overlooking the baroque facade of the city’s cathedral and next to four young and unbearably chic Spaniards drinking wine and smoking like it was 1973.
From the waiter we learned that among the several dishes on our neighbors’ table were pimientos de padrón (resembling charred shishito peppers), berenjenas fritas (thinly sliced fried eggplant with rosemary and a locally made cane syrup called miel de caña), and albóndigas en salsa de almendras (meatballs in almond sauce). We ordered all of them. But it was the meatballs we craved most. And when I tasted their richly flavored sauce made with ground almonds, I knew it was the dish I would add to our Truro rotation.
There are many traditional recipes out there, usually made of pork but sometimes beef or a mixture of pork and veal. Some are seasoned with garlic, onion, and parsley, while others we sampled included warming spices such as cumin and cinnamon, a reflection, perhaps, of the Moorish history of Andalusia. Our apartment kitchen was not particularly well stocked with spices, so I went with a simple recipe, adding some cumin and saffron that I was able to buy in very small quantities.
Ubiquitous in the recipes is a panade (or in this case, breadcrumbs). The addition of the panade is a trick my mother used in her own meatballs in brown gravy. The starches keep the meat’s protein from tightening and so keep the meatballs both tender and juicy.
The Spanish version of the sauce is nothing like my mother’s, though. It’s not thickened with the usual flour or cornstarch but with ground almonds that are toasted to deepen their flavor. Most versions of the recipe that I encountered called for almonds without the skins, suggesting they could make the sauce bitter.
As we settled onto our tiny balcony overlooking the cathedral, the bells announced evening Mass. We stayed put watching families amble down the Calle San Agustín, content with our homemade meatballs, a glass of verdejo, and a recipe to bring back to Truro.
ALBÓNDIGAS EN SALSA DE ALMENDRAS
Makes 20 to 25 meatballs
For the meatballs
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1⁄3 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 lb. ground pork (or a mixture of equal parts ground pork and veal)
For the almond sauce, part one
2 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup blanched almonds, finely ground
1/3 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
Sauce, part two
4 Tbsp. onions, minced
3 Tbsp. chopped tomatoes
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
5 strands saffron
2 Tbsp. peas (frozen are fine), optional
Fresh lemon and chopped parsley for garnish
- Make the panade: in a large bowl mix together the egg, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add the breadcrumbs, mix again, and allow to stand for a few minutes. Then, add the ground meat, mixing by hand and making sure that the bread-crumb mixture is well distributed. Refrigerate covered for about an hour.
- While the meat is chilling, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add the ground almonds and breadcrumbs to the skillet and sauté, stirring often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Wipe the skillet clean.
- Form the meatballs: roll tablespoons of the meat mixture into 1-inch balls. Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet in a shallow layer over medium high heat. Brown half the meatballs, turning once without crowding them (2 to 3 minutes — they won’t be cooked through). Drain on paper towels. Add additional oil, if necessary, and brown the second half of the meatballs. Set them aside while making the sauce.
- For the sauce, heat 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet and add the onion. Cook until golden. Add tomato and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and broth and add the bay leaf and saffron and bring to a simmer. Put the meatballs back into the sauce. Season with pepper and salt (if needed), cover and cook at a low simmer, carefully turning them once or twice. Depending on their size, they will take about 8 to 10 minutes to cook.
- Once the meatballs are cooked through, remove them again to a side plate. Stir in the reserved almond and breadcrumb mixture (and the peas, if using), mixing well, and continue to stir over medium heat until the sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes. Add a little water if the sauce seems too thick. Return the meatballs to the finished sauce and gently heat them through, then plate them garnished with parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
