Ingredients:
- 1 lb Ground Beef (80/20 lean-to-fat ratio)
- 0.5 lb Ground Pork
- 0.5 cup Long-grain white rice, uncooked
- 1 large Egg, beaten
- 0.25 cup Fresh Mint, finely minced
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 0.5 tsp Black pepper, freshly cracked
- 0.5 tsp Ground cumin
- 3 large Roma tomatoes, halved
- 0.5 white onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic, peeled
- 8 cups chicken bone broth
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 large Carrots, sliced into 0.5-inch rounds
- 2 medium Gold potatoes, cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 2 small Zucchini, sliced into half-moons
- 1 Chayote squash, peeled and cubed
- 0.5 cup Fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 Limes, cut into wedges
- 1 tsp Dried Mexican oregano
Instructions:
- In a high-speed blender, combine the halved Roma tomatoes, chopped onion, and garlic cloves. Blend until completely smooth to create the 'recaudo' base.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour in the blended tomato mixture and sear for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the color deepens and the liquid reduces slightly.
- Pour the 8 cups of broth into the pot. Add the sliced carrots, cubed potatoes, and chayote. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
- While the broth heats, prepare the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, uncooked rice, beaten egg, minced mint, salt, pepper, and cumin. Mix by hand until just combined; do not overwork the meat.
- Form the meat mixture into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Gently drop the meatballs into the boiling broth one by one.
- Reduce the heat to low-medium. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the meatballs float to the surface. The rice inside the meatballs will expand, acting as a binder and tenderizer.
- Add the zucchini half-moons to the pot and cook for an additional 5 minutes until all vegetables are fork-tender and the rice in the meatballs is fully cooked.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the fresh cilantro. Serve hot in deep bowls with a dusting of Mexican oregano and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.