José Pizarro’s recipe for parsnip, apple and chickpea albóndigas in saffron-tomato broth

Hearty, earthy and slightly sweet, these “meat”balls come smothered in a rich saffron and tomato broth

Meatballs are one of those dishes you find everywhere. In the Middle East there are kofta, in Italy polpette, in France boulettes, in Germany frikadellen and in Spain we call them albóndigas (or almóndigas as it’s pronounced in my village in Extremadura). The Moors brought them to Spain centuries ago, and they quickly became an integral part of our cooking culture, a dish to share with family and friends. In fact, they don’t even need to include any actual meat: in today’s dish, I make them with a hearty, earthy and slightly sweet combination of chickpeas, parsnip and apple, and serve them in a rich, golden and full-flavoured saffron and tomato broth.