Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.
Suggested Use:
De Arbol is a hot chile and a staple in Southwest kitchens. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish. Be adventurous and add them to your next stew or chili along with the other spices Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish.
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
4 quarts beef stock
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 (10 oz) can tomatoes, Mexican style
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup fresh jalapeno peppers, chopped fine
1/4 cup dried de arbol chiles, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, chopped extra fine
tortilla chips, crushed lightly (not into crumbs)
shredded cheddar cheese
green part of 4-5 green onions, chopped fine
Instructions:
Roll the ground beef into meatballs and brown them in a skillet. To the beef stock add the onion, celery, tomatoes, rice, chiles, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook on medium for 10 minutes. Add the meatballs. Simmer about 20-30 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Ladle into bowls. Tortilla chips, green onions, and cheddar cheese my be added on top of soup if desired.
From the Hot and Spicy food page.