Soupin’ it up with Almondigas

You don’t have the time to cook a pot of soup?  And rather open up a can of high sodium instant soups — oh no, stop.  Perhaps you’d try my recipe of “love this always” Almondigas soup.  Few preps and you’d be off to boiling the flavorful stock.  Almondigas are meat balls, you guessed it right, of Spanish origin.  Chinese educate us to enjoy filled wontons in wonton soups, Fisherman’s wharf have us screaming for more clam chowders…well, starting today, when you make this recipe, you’d be making almondigas the next best thing (but promise not to tell your friends the secret ingredient, which I’ll identify boldly in the recipe).   For many Filipinos, classic almondigas is soup of pork balls and misua (very fine rice vermicille).  So you need a pack of ground pork (you’d only use half for this recipe, but you can always double the recipe to consume the whole lb package), carrots, celery, shrimp-flavored Ramen soup (use only the seasoning packet to flavor the broth or stock), and patis (or fish sauce, adds that special flavor in addition to its saltiness, but salt is fine).  The rest are staples…onions, minced garlic, salt and pepper, eggs and all-purpose flour.

Glenn brought this to work…and his co-workers (all Americans) tried and loved, loved, loved it….I made a double batch…and all consumed.   Here’s the recipe and photos too…enjoy!

ALMONDIGAS (PORK BALLS SOUP WITH MISUA)
When nights just get colder, a warm soup comes first in my mind.  Here’s a favorite soup of mine, so easy, and is delicioso.  Misua is fine vermicilli you buy in oriental stores.

For Broth:
1 – 2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (divided: add half to broth and half to pork balls)
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 pc carrot, finely chopped (divided: add half to broth and half to pork balls)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped (divided: add half to broth and half to pork balls)
1 Shrimp-flavored Ramen Noodle soup seasoning packet (if misua is not available, then use the ramen noodles instead) SECRET INGREDIENT
6 cups water
few sprinkles of crushed red pepper flakes
patis (fish sauce), salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 bundle of misua

For Pork Balls:
1/2 lb ground pork
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
half of finely chopped large onion
half of finely chopped carrot
half of finely chopped celery stalk
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
For Pork Balls – Mix all ingredients in a bowl and form into small pork balls.

For Broth – Heat cooking oil in a wok.  Add  the onions, garlic, carrot and celery to hot oil and saute until the onion is soft.  Stir in ramen seasoning packet.  Add water and crushed red pepper flakes and bring to a boil.   Lower the heat and drop in the pork balls.  Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.  Add beaten eggs and stir gently.   Add patis, salt and pepper to taste.  Add misua, turn off the heat and cover for 5 minutes.  Transfer to individual soup bowls and may top with fried garlic or chopped green onions.  Serve hot!

Read more at Celebr-eat-y By Sarah Lee