THE SPANIARD

The Spaniard image

Yield Makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch meatballs

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground pork
1/2 pound dry spanish chorizo, finely diced
1/2 pound manchego cheese, finely diced
3 cups cooked long-grain white rice
2 large eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
Combine the ground pork, chorizo, Manchego, rice, eggs, bread crumbs, tomato paste, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
Roll the mixture into round, golf ball-size meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.