There’s nothing “olive” more than tapas 🥘 {ad}
For most of my life, loving olives didn’t come naturally 🙅🏼♀️ I really wanted to be one of those classy people nibbling on them at dinner parties but couldn’t get on board with the flavour 🤷🏼♀️
Until I had my first Spanish Manzanilla olive @olivesfromspainuk 😱 AB. SOLUTE. GAME-CHANGER.
I was then lucky enough to try vegan meatballs stuffed with Spanish olives from our local tapas restaurant and loved the saltiness they added so decided to recreate them 🤤
Spanish meatballs aka albóndigas are said to have originated in Spain at a time when Islamic influence dominated SW Europe. They’re generally served as a tapas dish.
I veganised this recipe from @where_ismy_spoon 🥄
🥘Spanish meatballs
🌱 20-30 chopped Spanish Manzanilla olives (I opted for 30 for max flavour)
🌱 500g vegan mince
🌱 2 garlic cloves
🌱 1 flax egg (mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseed w/ 3 tbsp water. Mix and let thicken in fridge for 15 mins)
🌱 2.5 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
🌱 2 tbsp chopped parsley
🌱 3/4 tsp sweet paprika
🌱 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
🌱 1/4 tsp hot paprika
🌱 1 tsp salt
🌱 1/4 tsp black pepper
🌱 1 tsp olive oil
🍅 Tomato sauce
🌱 1 medium onion
🌱 2 tbsp olive oil
🌱 3 garlic cloves
🌱 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
🌱 1 tsp dried oregano
🌱 2 bay leaves
🌱 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
🌱 2 tbsp chopped parsley
🌱 salt & pepper
🥘Meatballs
🌱 Place olives, mince, grated garlic, flax egg, breadcrumbs, parsley, sweet, smoked & hot paprika, salt & pepper in a bowl. Mix with your hands. Form 30 small meatballs
🌱 Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs (in two batches if necessary) until brown on all sides (5 mins). Take meatballs out, set aside
🍅 Tomato sauce:
🌱 Finely chop onion. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in the same skillet. Cook until translucent. Add chopped garlic, stir for 1 min
🌱 Add canned tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, cayenne pepper & parsley and salt & pepper to taste. Stir well, bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low for 20 mins
🌱 Add meatballs, heat for 5 mins. Serve! 💰See comments for charity donation details
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