1.5 cups canned tomatoes diced canned drained one 15-ounce can
1 quart chicken broth low-sodium homemade canned
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2.5 tablespoons bread crumbs dry
1 eggs beaten
1 cup corn kernels fresh frozen cut from 2 ears
2 cloves garlic minced
0.5 pound ground beef
0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
0.8 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper black
2 jalapeño peppers chopped
1 tablespoon juice of lime
2.3 teaspoons oregano dried
1 small onion red chopped
1.8 teaspoons salt
2 cups water
0.5 pound zucchini cut into 1/2-inch dice
Equipment
bowl
pot
Directions
In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat.
Add the onion and half the jalapeos and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the zucchini,1 1/2 teaspoons of the dried oregano, if using, and 1/4 teaspoon of the cumin and cook, stirring, until the zucchini starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
Add the broth, water, tomatoes, 1 1/4teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper; bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, garlic, the remaining jalapeo, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon of the fresh oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the bread crumbs, and the egg. Shape the mixture into 24 meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.
Add the meatballs and corn to the soup and simmer until the meatballs are just done, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, if using.
Wine Recommendation: The oregano, jalapeos, and cumin here would give most wines a run for their money, but a lusty red zinfandel is spicy and rich enough to face those powerful ingredients without flinching.
