Shrimp Albondigas*

There is an old Mexican remedy for the day after that long night on the town, when you've had just a few too many celebration toasts.  Anything hot & spicy! My husband and I attended a halloween party over the weekend and somehow ended up with the after party at our place??!! Anyhow, long story short, the next day there was nothing better than a hot, spicy soup to warm us from the belly up!  The recipe that I am sharing with you today was a staple in my grandmother's home growing up, but not for the reason that I made it.  But rather for it's simplicity and highlighting flavor of the star ingredient...Shrimp.  My grandmother is from a Mexican port town where seafood is a mere step away and always in season. The combination of crisp vegetable and wonderful shrimp & rice is just what the doctor/grandmother would order for anyone who's feeling a bit under the weather.

A nice big bowl of comfort brimming with grandmotherly love.

 Mama Tala, your recipes always know how to lift our spirits, just like your spark for life. Here's a tribute to you on the eve of your 95th birthday, may your sweetness and spice live forever. I love you.

Shrimp Albondigas

(inspired by my grandmother's secret recipe)

Ingredients

1lb Shrimp (peeled & de-vained)

1/2 Cup White Rice

1 lb Red Potatoes (choped)

2 Large Carrots (chopped)

1 Large Zucchini (chopped)

1 Medium Yellow Onion (chopped)

1 Cup Cilantro (chopped)

2 Tbs Ground Dried Shrimp 

1 Tbs Chicken Bouillon 

1 Tsp garlic powder

2 Tbs Salt

6 Cups Water

Directions

Place shrimp in food processor and pulse just until chopped. 

Combine shrimp with rice, 1 tablespoon salt and ground dried shrimp.

Mix well.

Use a tablespoon to portion shrimp mixture into even balls.

Place water, bouillon, remaining salt and garlic powder into a large stock pot.

Add albondigas and cook at medium low heat for 20 minutes.

Add carrots , potatoes and onions, and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Finally add the zucchini and cilantro, and again cook for the last 10 minutes.

The first vegetables take longer to cook, so that is why we add them in stages, 

if we placed them all at the same time, we would have a mooshy (technical term) mess at the end. Blaaaah.

But instead, in the end you have a nice, flavorful soup with crispy veggies and fluffy albondigas! 

Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom!

Got Pictures?

Why yes I do ;-D

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hello shrimp...

hello shrimp...peeling shrimp ;-)

little sous chefs are the best peelers.

peeled and ready for the chopping block

or processor in my case

love this gadget!

love this rice.

I use basmati rice...

grandmother uses traditional.

got a secret ingredient of my own grandma...

well not so secret anymore :-s

I just like to add a little more shrimp flavor,

the dried ground shrimp do just that!

mixed all up and formed into a yummy shrimp ball

(a distant cousin of the meatball )

Placed in a bath of bullion, salt and garlic powder

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& chopped veggies

in batches...

carrots & onions first

followed by the potatoes

& finally the zucchini

ohh wait!

can't forget the cilantro!

*

Now, this is where I let it cook and then serve it up to the kids

with a wedge of lemon

~ but without the spice.

For us, the spicier the better

&

the spice comes in a bottle...

Feel free to substitute any hot sauce. Usually I use Tapatio...

but ran out last week on tostadas de ceviche.

hmmmm tostadas de ceviche?

Now why didn't I post those?

Guess I'll have to make another batch!

Until then, enjoy~

 without moderation

reminiscent of the night before ;-)

Simply Food Love*

Gulf Shrimp