(Serves 12, prepare one day in advance.)

Begin your sopa by simmering three or four marrowbones in a gigantic pot filled halfway with water.  Skim foam, then cover.  Skim again as necessary.

Combine two packages of ground beef and one package of ground pork.  Add one handful of salt, five eggs, once cup of uncooked white rice, one bunch of chopped mint, a diced white onion, and five or six diced Roma tomatoes.  Combine with another handful of salt and knead until uniform. Set aside.

Back at the sopa, add a half bunch of cilantro, stems and all.

In a new, slightly smaller pot, add a handful of stripped cilantro (just leaves), two chopped Roma tomatoes, two big cans of diced tomatoes, a thickly diced onion, one large jalepeño cut into rounds, two large zucchinis cut into rounds, and couple glugs of canola oil.  Put on the burner and stir.

Back again at your sopa, skim the foam and throw in a handful of salt.  Add a half bag of baby carrots, coarsely chopped.

Once the smaller, veggie filled pot has reached a simmer, add it to the gigantic broth and carrot pot. You may add more salt or water if necessary. 

Make your meatballs using the pitcher approach.  Pinch off a hearty chunk of meatball mixture and throw it into your palm like a baseball into a glove.  It may take a few tosses to get them globular.  If bits of mint or tomato poke out, push these back in with your finger: the meatballs should be small and compact.  Add your meatballs to the pot as you go.

Cook albondigas at a steady simmer for one hour, partially covered.  Cool completely, remove bones and refrigerate overnight.  Three hours before you plan on serving the Albondigas the next day, remove the crust of fat that will have formed, then reheat slowly.  Serve with white corn tortillas. 

- Recipe courtesy of Agatha French

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