I found the MOST DELICIOUS recipe for Mexican Chorizo Meatball Sandwiches last week!  After all, we live in Sayulita, so let’s cook with some Mexican style flavors! If you eat meat, I believe that you will really enjoy this recipe. Served in a fresh baked bolillo (baguette) with homemade mayonnaise and chipotle peppers, it makes your mouth water just thinking about it!

INGREDIENTS for Meatballs:

-4 bolillos (small baguettes). (*In the morning you will see vendors selling fresh baked bolillos in a big straw basket on many of the Sayulita street corners. Many of our local tiendas also sell them fresh, daily.)

-1 lb of lean ground beef. (*You can buy ground beef at any of our local carnicerias. I prefer to eat organically if available, so when I am in Costco in Puerto Vallarta I usually buy a 2-pack of organic ground beef found in the freezer section.)

-1 lb of ground Mexican pork chorizo. (*I had 2 tubes of Corona brand chorizo in my fridge, so I used them. The carnicerias here usually sell ground chorizo, or “molido” which means ground in Español.)

-2 eggs, lightly beaten,

-3 cloves of garlic. (*I grated them on my fine micro plane grater. This turns the garlic into almost a juicy paste that really blends into the meat thoroughly.)

-2 tsp of Mexican oregano. (*Oksana from Sana Spices sells excellent quality oregano at our Friday Mercado del Pueblo. You can also find it at Terrenal Organic store.)

-1 tsp of salt.

-½ tsp of black pepper.

-½ a cup of fresh cilantro, finely chopped.

-½ a cup of grated cotija cheese

-Olive oil for sautéing

-4 cups of chicken broth. (*I buy organic chicken broth at Mega in Bucerias in tetra packs.)

-The recipe calls for 1 cup of breadcrumbs, but I chose to omit them. They do help to hold the meatballs together better, but I find that they make them much too solid for my liking.

INGREDIENTS and PREPARATION for Chipotle Crema:

Combine together in a bowl:

-1 cup of Mexican Crema, or Sour Cream

-2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped.

-Pinch of salt

PREPARATION for the Meatballs:

1. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. I like to use my hands to gently blend together; the more that you mix, the tougher the meatballs will be.
2. Gently form meatballs to about 1” in diameter. I simply pick up a mound of meat and shape into a ball. Remember- to make a perfect ball shape, do not press together a lot.
3. Sauté the meatballs over medium-high heat, turning them to brown all sides. These will be very delicate without the breadcrumbs, so please be sure to turn only when there is a brown crust formed. They may be a ragged shape, but I love the rustic look!
4. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a slow boil, and then simmer gently to finish the cooking; this takes approximately 10 minutes.

FOR THE SANDWICHES:

1. Slice the bolillos in half, but not quite all the way through.
2. Spread both sides of the bolillo with the chipotle crema.
3. Fill each bolillo with 3 or 4 meatballs. (*You can also add avocado slices, grated carrot, thin slices of jalapeños, and can add more crema if you like!)

Take a big bite; YUMMY! I LOVE the chorizo flavor combined with all the additional Mexican flavors. I plan to make them again next week. These meatballs are also delicious without the bolillo-- just serve them with the Mexican Crema to dip, and they are oh so tasty. Since I seldom eat bread, this is my favorite way to have them.

I haven’t given you any cake recipes lately. My favorite food blogger, Jenn Segal. from “Once Upon a Chef” has a delicious recipe for Vanilla Bundt Cake with a great glaze. I think that will be my next column for you. Served with fresh sliced strawberries and whipped cream, it is like DESSERT NIRVANA!

If you have any comments or questions, please contact me through my Sayulita Life Web Page. I love hearing from you! Please note that LIVE, LOVE, & EAT In SAYULITA will be on vacation until July.

*Written by: Karina Shecter