Turkey Albondigas

My brother and sister-in-law just had their first baby 10 days ago. She is a beautiful little girl with so much hair; she's going to need a haircut pretty soon! So, both my mom and step-mom made food for them and stored it in their freezer this way Lindsey and Tom didn't have to worry about cooking for the first few weeks while they got used to their new bundle of joy. One of the dishes my mom made for them is her albondigas soup. To me, this is probably one of the best Mexican comfort foods, and it's really good to eat when you're sick, too (I guess it's the Mexican version of Matzo Ball Soup).

Now, in just about all the albondigas recipes they tell you to use ground beef, which you can substitute, but my mom got us used to ground turkey (or even ground chicken) because there is less fat and the soup is not greasy at all. Also, if there are no zucchinis available, you can add summer squash, or you can just omit it if you want. Anyway, my mom made extra soup and I also got a nice pot of it at home.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

• 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 2 zucchinis, sliced
• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
• 1/2 cup rice, uncooked
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons ice water

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot combine broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and water. Add the onion, carrots, celery and potatoes (do not add the zucchini just yet).

Bring to a boil and simmer.

Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the ground turkey, uncooked rice, cilantro, garlic, pepper, seasosing salt, egg and ice water. Mix thoroughly, but do not overwork the mixture.

Form into small meatballs (you can form bigger meatballs if you prefer, but meatballs may have to cook a little longer).

Add carefully to soup. Cook for 15 minutes, then add the zucchini. Cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through and the rice in the meatballs look nice and plump.

Laddle the albondigas and broth in soup bowls and don't forget to serve warm corn tortillas and butter on the side. Que bueno!