RECIPE: Chipotle Meatballs

April 30, 2015 at 11:16 am · Filed under Cinco de Mayo-Dia De Los Muertos, Meat & Poultry, Recipes

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, how about Mexican-style meatballs?

Meatballs in Chipotle Chile Sauce with Wisconsin Queso Fresco Cheese. Make them small for an appetizer, or bigger for a main course. Serve them with rice and pinto or black beans; or make a Cinco de Mayo meatball sub.

This recipe serves four 4 as main course, 10-12 as appetizers.

RECIPE: MEATBALLS IN CHIPOTLE CHILE SAUCE

Ingredients

For The Meatballs

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

3/4 cup Wisconsin Cotija or Parmesan Cheese, grated

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, minced

1/2 large white onion, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

Chipotle meatballs. Photo courtesy WisDairy.com.

2 slices coarse white bread, crust removed and soaked in 2-3 tablespoons milk

Salt and pepper

For The Sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 jar (16 ounces) chipotle salsa

1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil

1 cup chicken broth

1 sprig mint (or pinch ground dried mint)

1 cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Garnish: cilantro, mint and queso fresco, as desired.

Queso fresco, made in Wisconsin—America’s largest cheese-producing state. Photo by Claire Freierman | THE NIBBLE.

Preparation

1. COMBINE the meatball ingredients in bowl, using your hands. Refrigerate for one hour.

2. SHAPE the meatballs in the desired size: larger for main course, smaller for appetizer.

3. MAKE the sauce: Add the cinnamon to the chile salsa. Heat oil until quite hot (but not smoking) in a heavy, deep skillet. Add the salsa and “fry” until thick (it will splatter; consider a splatter screen).

4. ADD the broth and bring to boil. Stir in the mint. Add the meatballs. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until meatballs are done.

5. GARNISH each serving with crumbled queso fresco, cilantro and additional mint, asdesired.

WHAT IS QUESO FRESCO

Queso fresco is one of the most commonly-used cheeses for cooking in Latin America. It’s a soft, mild cheese similar to ricotta in that it’s made from curds. Cultures and rennet are added to pasteurized milk to create the curds, which are scooped into molds, then drained briefly.

The resulting queso fresco is crumbly, with a mild and salty flavor and a slightly “grainy” texture. It is often sprinkled over foods, and when heated, it will melt.

Queso fresco is most often used crumbled, as a topping for everything from salads to soups to enchiladas, and is melted in quesadillas and casseroles.

Queso fresco should not be confused with queso blanco fresco, although the latter is similar. Queso blanco fresco is a fresh cheese that is made by direct acidification (not cultures and rennet) and pressed into blocks. It consequently has a firm texture and softens but does not melt: It can be sliced for pan-frying.

The different types of Hispanic cheeses.

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