Albóndigas a la Madrileña

Albóndigas a la Madrileña are Madrid's answer to meatballs in tomato sauce — slightly richer than the Italian version, with white wine and smoked paprika doing a lot of the work.

One of the heartiest tapas on the menu, and a good one to serve if the rest of the spread is lighter.

Ingredients

• 500g beef and pork mince, mixed
• 1 slice white bread, crust removed, soaked in milk
• 1 egg
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (1 for the meatballs, 1 for the sauce)
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• Plain flour, for dusting
• Olive oil, for frying
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 400g tin crushed tomatoes
• 100ml white wine
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Squeeze the excess milk from the soaked bread and combine it in a bowl with the mince, egg, 1 minced garlic clove, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix gently — overworking the mince makes the meatballs tough.
2. Roll into walnut-sized balls and dust lightly in flour.
3. Heat olive oil in a wide pan and brown the meatballs in batches, about 4–5 minutes, then set aside.
4. In the same pan, add the onion and remaining garlic and cook until soft. Add the paprika, then the wine, and simmer for 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
5. Add the crushed tomatoes, season, and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Return the meatballs to the sauce and simmer gently for a further 15 minutes, until cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
7. Serve hot with crusty bread for mopping up the sauce — this is one of the heartier tapas on the table.