José Pizarro’s recipe for parsnip, apple and chickpea albóndigas in saffron-tomato broth | Spanish food and drink

Meatballs are a kind of dishes you discover all over the place. Within the Center East there are kofta, in Italy polpette, in France boulettes, in Germany frikadellen and in Spain we name them albóndigas (or almóndigas because it’s pronounced in my village in Extremadura). The Moors introduced them to Spain centuries in the past, and so they shortly turned an integral a part of our cooking tradition, a dish to share with household and associates. Actually, they don’t even want to incorporate any precise meat: in right now’s dish, I make them with a hearty, earthy and barely candy mixture of chickpeas, parsnip and apple, and serve them in a wealthy, golden and full-flavoured saffron and tomato broth.Parsnip, apple and chickpea albóndigas in saffron-tomato brothPrep 15 minCook 45 minServes 4-61 tbsp olive oil1 small onion, peeled and chopped2 celery sticks, trimmed and chopped2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed6 giant ripe vine tomatoes, chopped1.2 litres good vegetable stockSalt and black pepper1 good pinch saffron threadsExtra-virgin olive oil, to finishFor the albóndigas570g jar chickpeas, drained1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed1 giant parsnip (200g), peeled and coarsely grated1 small apple, peeled, cored and grated1 tsp floor cumin1 good pinch chilli flakes50g recent white breadcrumbs1 giant egg1 handful finely chopped flat-leaf parsleyOlive oil, for fryingFirst, make the broth. Put the oil in a saucepan on a medium-low warmth, add the onion, celery and garlic, and cook dinner gently, stirring usually, for 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and inventory, season and convey to a simmer. Go away to cook dinner for 10-Quarter-hour, then crumble within the saffron and cook dinner for 10 minutes extra. Positive pressure, urgent down on the solids to extract each final drop of liquid, then return the broth to the pan; discard the solids.In the meantime, in a big bowl, mash the chickpeas with a fork – you need them pretty effectively mixed, however with a number of complete and massive bits of chickpea nonetheless in there. Combine within the crushed garlic, grated parsnip and apple, spices, breadcrumbs and egg, then add the parsley and loads of seasoning, and blend till it’s all effectively mixed. In the meantime, warmth a skinny layer of oil in a nonstick frying pan.Scoop spoonfuls of the chickpea combination into your hand and form them into good-sized balls – you need them to be a bit larger than a walnut – then fry in batches, turning often, for 3 or 4 minutes, till they’re golden throughout – take care if you flip them, as a result of the balls are delicate and also you don’t need them to interrupt up.Divide the fried albóndigas between warmed shallow bowls. Warmth the broth to a simmer, then ladle some over every portion of albondigas. Drizzle over some good oil, and serve with a closing twist of black pepper.