Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food. And while these are satisfyingly delicious, they also pack a spicy punch. The chipotles add an unexpected smoky heat to the tomato sauce, which only gets better with time. So make them in advance for a no-stress meal, and make sure to make extra so you can have some for leftovers.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　

Meatballs

3/4 pound ground beef

　　3/4 pound ground pork

　　2 large eggs

　　2 tablespoons dried oregano

　　2 teaspoons ground cumin

　　4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

　　2 teaspoons salt

　　1/4 teaspoon black pepper

　　About 1 cup all-purpose flour, to lightly coat the meatballs

　　1 tablespoon olive oil

　　

Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)

　　1 onion, quartered

　　2 large tomatoes, cored and quartered

　　2 canned chipotles

　　2 tablespoons adobo from canned chipotles

　　1 1/2 tablespoons honey

　　1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

　　1 cup chicken broth

　　

Garnish

Mexican crema, homemade (page 102) or store-bought

　　Fresh cilantro sprigs

　　Fried tortilla strips or chips

　　

Form the Meatballs

Step 1

Combine the ground meats in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs, oregano, cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until well incorporated.

　　

Step 2

Form the meatballs by placing 1 tablespoon of meat in the palms of your hand and moving both hands together in a circular motion to form a 1-inch ball. Set aside and repeat until all of the meat is used.

　　

Step 3

Put the flour on a dish. Cover the meatballs with a light dusting of flour by rolling them in the flour and shaking off the excess. Set aside.

　　

Brown the Meatballs

Step 4

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs in small batches, being careful not to crowd the pan because this will cause the meatballs to steam and not brown. You are looking to brown the meatballs on all sides but not cook them through. The meatballs will finish cooking in the sauce. Place the browned meatballs on a dish and set aside.

　　

Step 5

Use this same pan—with all the meat bits and rendered fat—to cook the sauce. Make sure there is about 1 tablespoon of oil left in the pan. If there is not, add more olive oil.

　　

Puree and Cook the Sauce

Step 6

Combine the onion, tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce, honey, and salt in a blender and puree until smooth.

　　

Step 7

Place the sauté pan used to brown the meatballs over medium-high heat and add the pureed sauce. Be careful because the sauce most likely will splatter. Cook the sauce for 2 minutes, then add the chicken broth. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

　　

Simmer the Meatballs

Step 8

Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Add the meatballs and cook for 10 minutes. The meatballs can sit in the sauce until you are ready to serve them. Just turn off the heat and cover the pan.

　　

Garnish and Serve

Step 9

Because the sauce may be a bit spicy for some, serve the meatballs with Homemade Mexican Crema to tame the heat. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and crispy strips of tortilla.

　　

COOKING NOTES

Step 10

INGREDIENTS

　　

Step 11

Canned Chipotles

　　

Step 12

You can adjust the spiciness of this sauce by adding more or fewer chipotle chiles and removing their seeds (the seeds are what contribute the heat).

　　

Step 13

Ground Meat

　　

Step 14

This recipe calls for equal amounts of ground pork and beef. Feel free to use any combination of ground meat. You even can use ground turkey, if you like. Just remember that ground turkey breast is much lower in fat than other ground meats and will produce a drier meatball.

　　

Step 15

TECHNIQUES

　　

Step 16

Browning the Meatballs

　　

Step 17

The light coating of flour will help create a thin crust around the meatballs when you sauté them in oil. Just make sure to coat them right before cooking, otherwise the meat will absorb the flour and you will not achieve the proper texture.

　　

Step 18

ADVANCE PREPARATION

　　

Step 19

This recipe can be made a day in advance and reheated.

　　Reprinted with permission from Simply Mexican by Lourdes Castro, © April 2009 Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book at Amazon or Bookshop.